Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library
by Brian O'Leary
Summary: A young girl awakes in a hospital with no memory of who she is and where she comes from. As she tries to start a new life she makes discoveries about herself as a martial artist, musician, chef and magic. As she grows she discovers an ancient magical library that helps direct her even after she attends a School for Witchcraft and Wizardry known as Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, Harry Potter or any other related works. I am simply writing for fun as an exercise. I will make no money from this. The only characters I own will be those of my own creation. I hope you enjoy it.

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 1**

The sound of voices quietly arguing among themselves slowly brought her up from a deep sleep. With a quiet intake of breath, she was startled to full awareness by the shooting pains moving through her head and the rest of her body.

"I tell you, her injuries have to be the result of a deliberate beating, and not a mere accident." A male voice firmly stated loudly enough to make her head pound behind her eyes.

"Even so, that doesn't change the fact that no one has reported a missing red head around the age of five or maybe six. I wish we could find who did this to her as much as you do, but for now we need to treat her injuries and find her family. If not, she will have to go into an orphanage." An irate female voice replied.

Carefully taking in her surroundings the young girl noticed the pale green walls and the dropdown tile ceiling. Looking to her right she saw a wide array of medical equipment quietly keeping track of her vital signs. Glancing down she discovered that she was clothed in a green medical gown while her legs were barely covered with a thin white blanket. Carefully turning her head and looking first to her left and then to her right she saw that she was resting in a bed that had a set of adjustable bars on either side, while directly in front of her a television mounted to the wall soundlessly projected muted cartoons to a nonexistent audience.

"Oh, she's awake." Said a man wearing a white lab coat as he stepped over to the bed she found herself in. "How are you feeling young lady?"

"I feel ok, but I hurt a lot." The young red head answered.

"I'm not surprised; you arrived with multiple contusions, several broken ribs, a punctured lung, a fractured right arm and a fractured left leg."

"Oh, how did I get hurt so bad? I don't really remember anything." the confused girl answered.

"Hmm, you did have a rather severe concussion, but it shouldn't be affecting your memory. What do you remember? Do you know your name? My name is Doctor Shin" the man said with a concerned tone.

With a startled look of panic on her face, the injured girl raised her confused eyes and replied "What is my name? I… I…. I don't know!" she wailed as tears flowed down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes.

"There, there, these things sometimes happen with head injuries. Over time you may begin to remember." Doctor Shin said as he tried to console his patient.

"You don't remember anything? Do you know the name of your father or your mother? Do you know what age you are, or what city you come from?" A Japanese woman wearing spectacles and a female business suit asked in a sharply aggressive manner.

"N.. n.. no, I am sorry, I don't remember anything before waking up here. Where am I?"

"You are in a small hospital in Yuzawa. You have been here for several days after being fished out of the Uonogawa river. You have been unconscious during the course of your stay with us. You are very lucky to even be alive." Doctor Shin replied seriously.

"Where the heck is that?" she asked with a puzzled expression

"About 2 hours north of Tokyo. We are known for our hot springs and during the winter we are a popular skiing destination." Doctor shin replied with a shrug.

"How long will I be here?"

"Well normally someone in your condition would be spending several weeks in the hospital, but you are healing at a rate that is abnormally fast. At least ten times faster than most people heal. Do you happen to know why?"

"No, like I said, I don't remember anything."

"Your X-rays and a thorough medical examination indicate you have had many injuries in your short life, several of them should have killed you. Do you remember anything about that at all?" the woman interrupted in a snappish manner.

"No, I don't. However, isn't it customary to tell me your name? I realize I can't return the favor, but it would be polite to let me know who I'm talking with. Ya know?" the young girl said firmly as she frowned up at the abrupt speaking woman.

Reeling back with a startled expression she hastily replied, "You're right, my name is Akira Yamatsu. I am a government appointed social worker. My job is to help children who are abused or have been orphaned. My questions involve the possibility that someone has been deliberately hurting you for most of your life." Akira responded.

"Oh. You think I have been abused?" the young girl asked.

"Yes, I am sorry to say that I do. If you don't remember your name or where you live, I may have no other choice than to take you to Tokyo and place you in an orphanage for adoption after you are well enough to leave the hospital."

"Lady, that really sucks ya know." The young girl said with a scowl.

"I am aware of that." Akira said with a slight frown at the girl's sudden rough speech patterns.

"Akira, you have done your job. I am going to ask you to please leave for now. I will inform you if there are any developments in her recovery, including any recovered memories." Doctor shin said.

"Ok, you are probably right. I have placed a rather large burden on her. Keep me updated, and let me know when she will be ready to leave the hospital. Take care young lady, I will see you later." Akira said as she turned and left the small hospital room.

"I will leave as well. Since you are healing so rapidly, I am going to have X-rays done on your arm and your leg to see if we can remove the casts and the bindings on your ribs. If that is the case, I will arrange for you to take a bath after removing the casts. We have had to do with lukewarm sponge baths while you were still unconscious. An orderly will be around shortly to take care of you." The doctor said.

As doctor Shin turned to leave, an extremely loud noisy squishy growl emitted from the vicinity of the red head's stomach. Clutching her good arm around the offending area, as she blushed slightly she asked in a timid voice, "Do ya think I could have something to eat? I'm real hungry."

"Of course, I will have a nurse bring you a nice meal." The doctor replied with a slight smile as he exited her room.

After a short wait, a plump woman in a nurse's outfit wheeled a cart into her room. The smells coming from the trolley made her small mouth begin to water and her stomach complained in an even louder voice.

"Hello dearie." The nurse said with a smile in a sweet voice. "Hold on just a sec and I will get you set right up before you decide to gnaw off one of my arms."

After carefully maneuvering a small wheeled table over so it extended out over her bed, the nurse reached down and pressed a couple of buttons that elevated the head of the bed and brought her up to a sitting position in front of the table. Stepping over to the trolley she picked up a tea pot and a nice porcelain cup which she carefully arranged on the table, then returned for a covered tray that she set in the center of the table and removed the cover.

The wonderful aroma of chicken teriyaki with rice on the side filled her senses. Reaching down, she picked up the chopsticks with her left hand and quickly brought the first bite to her lips. With a cry of joy, and a loud "idatikimas" her hand's started to blur as they brought the food to her lips with a speed that was almost too fast for human eyes to follow.

Barely stepping out of the way the nurse gasped as she watched the girl set the chopsticks next to her now empty plate, pour some tea and gulp it down in a split second.

"Oh, that is good!" she said as she licked her lips. "May I please have some more?"

"Uhh, of course dearie, just give me a moment." The startled nurse said.

Carefully cleaning up the used dishes she placed them on the trolley and started to wheel it out of the room just as another loud growl of hunger rumbled forth from the redhead's stomach.

"My, oh my, what a huge appetite you have." The nurse said as she left the room.

After several minutes, the nurse returned and set a second tray before the young girl and quickly stepped back as a whirlwind of chopsticks finished the food off in just a few moments.

Having finished her second tray, the red head looked up with a hopeful doe eyed expression on her face. "Would it be alright to have one more?" she asked.

"Of course dearie, I came prepared with one final tray, plus desert." The nurse said with a smile.

Moving forward she removed the empty tray, placed it on the bottom shelf of the trolley and produced one last covered tray. Setting the tray before her charge she watched with wonder and amusement as the red head demolished a third tray of food as if she were a starving wolf.

Within a few moments the third tray was empty and clean, so the nurse efficiently cleared it away and then set a small plate of sweet bean treats in front of the eager eater.

"Yay! Thank you!" the girl exclaimed before she quickly polished off the sweat confections.

After a quick demonstration of serious speed eating, the girl let out a healthy belch, patted her stomach and slowly sipped her tea.

"Thank you, I was very hungry." She said shyly.

"No problem at all, it is good to see such a healthy appetite though I have no idea where you put it all." The nurse smiled. "Now that you have eaten, an orderly will be by shortly to take you to X-ray."

"Kay."

Doing a final clean up, the nurse placed everything on the cart; set out a fresh pitcher of ice water along with a clean glass then moved the portable table within easy reach of her charge, turned and wheeled the trolley out of the room.

After several boring moments with nothing more to do than stare at the muted TV, the girl heard footsteps approach with a loud, quick step. As she looked towards the door she saw a wheel chair push its way into her room followed by a skinny Japanese man in his late twenties. Moving the chair to a position by her bed, the man carefully set the brakes, and then turned towards her.

"Good day. I'm here to take you out and get some x-rays done. My name's Toshiro." The orderly said with a friendly smile.

"Pleased to meet ya Toshiro, sorry I don't have a name to give ya back." The girl said.

"Well, I can't go around just calling you girl, or 'hey you.' Do you mind if I call you 'Red' for now?"

"For now, that is a good a name as any other. That would be all right. Hi, I'm Red. Pleased ta meet ya." Red replied with a mischievous grin.

"Ok Red, I am going to pick you up and put you in this chair and then we will go down the hall and up one floor to X-ray. After that, I will bring you back here." Toshiro said with a smile.

Setting word to deed, Toshiro put one arm under her legs and one arm behind her back, then carefully lifted her up and gently placed her in the wheel chair. Reaching down he released the brakes on the chair, then swiftly wheeled her down a wide, white tiled hall to a stainless steel elevator located at a dead end.

After a brief wait he wheeled her into the elevator, took them up one floor, then steered her out into a hallway that was for all intents and purposes identical to the one below. Moving down the hall they turned to the right at a tee intersection, until they reached a door labeled X-ray where he backed them through the door into a dim room with a table set in the center of it.

After re-setting the brakes on the chair, Toshiro gently moved her to the table where he carefully laid her down. Stepping over to a cabinet, he took some large flat plastic items and placed them under her leg, arm and her ribs.

"Ok Red, I am going to step into the next room and start up the equipment. I need you to lie very still while I take your picture." Toshiro said with a grin.

"Kay." Red replied.

After a few moments a large robotic type arm came alive with a low hum and proceeded to move above her with smooth slow motions. After tracing several paths above her, the arm returned to its location against the wall.

"All right, let me take these down the hall to the lab, and I will be right back to take you to your room." Toshiro said as removed the films from beneath the red headed girl.

After a couple of minutes Toshiro returned, set her back in the chair and then wheeled her back to her room where she fell into a deep sleep.

When she yawned and woke up from her impromptu nap, the light through the windows showed that it must be fast approaching dinner time, and her stomach agreed with a loud rumble of protest. As she listened to her surroundings, she heard the sound of a cart with a squeaky wheel as the smell of food wafted into her room and made her stomach ache with hunger.

"Hello Dearie. Are you still as hungry as you were at lunch?" the kind nurse asked as she stuck her head in the room.

"Ya bet your boots I am." She replied.

"Well, let's get you back into a sitting position and I will give you several trays of food. I have never seen such an appetite." The nurse said as she shook her head while a smile played across her lips.

Moving into the room, the nurse brought her up to a sitting position, set her table and started to lay out several trays of food when she was interrupted by the entrance of Doctor Shin.

"Surely you don't expect such a tiny girl to put away that much food, do you?" He asked.

"Yes I do, of course if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes; I probably wouldn't believe it either." She replied.

"If you say so, I think I will have to observe this phenomenon with my own eyes though."

With chopsticks in hand, the girl proceeded to demolish four trays of food within the space of five minutes as her chopsticks became a blur almost invisible to the naked eye. Carefully setting her bamboo chopsticks down on the table, she looked up with large, hopeful, blue eyes as she asked "Is there any desert?"

"Yes Dearie, I have a nice large bowl of it for you" she said as she placed an ice cream sundae down before her young charge.

"OH BOY! Ice Cream!" the red head loudly cried as she dove in with gusto and quickly polished off the sweet, sticky confection.

Doctor Shin looked on with surprise as he witnessed the massive appetite exhibited by the diminutive girl before him. Of course the bottomless pit she called a stomach wasn't the first surprise he had received from his patient and he was afraid that she wasn't through puzzling him yet.

"Doesn't eating ice cream that fast give you a massive case of brain freeze?" The nurse asked with concern in her voice.

"Nope, couldn't tell you why though."

"How are you feeling otherwise?" Doctor Shin asked the girl.

"Much better, I don't hurt that bad anymore." She replied.

"I'm not surprised. I have never seen anyone heal as fast as you have. After looking at your X-rays, I am going to take your casts off, and then you can get a bath before retiring for the night." Doctor Shin said with a smile.

"Sounds good ta me, doc." The red head replied.

Stepping forward, the doctor used a battery operated vibra saw to start cutting through the casts on the young girl's leg and arm with a loud buzz. "That tickles." She giggled lightly over the noise of the saw.

After removing the casts and setting the remains of the fiberglass supports aside, the doctor had her press against his right hand with her leg and her arm. The strength the girl showed was tremendous. He had met full grown construction workers who couldn't put forth the amount of force found in her young limbs.

"Very good job young lady. Your arm and your leg are in fine shape." He smiled. "Let's see to those ribs."

Pulling out a set of medical shears, he cut through the bindings on her ribs and gently removed them.

"Take several deep breaths, slowly in and then slowly out."

"Kay." She said then complied with his request.

"Does it hurt anywhere when you breathe like that?"

"Nope, I feel fine."

Pulling a small flashlight out of his pocket he shone it into her eyes and carefully observed the dilation of her pupils. "Mmmm. Good, and this one looks good as well. You appear to have recovered from the nasty concussion you had when you came in."

Moving over to the computer terminal in the room he quietly typed for a few minutes.

"Well, everything looks really good. I will have the nurses start a nice hot shower for you and allow you to get properly cleaned up rather than have another luke warm sponge bath. Tomorrow we will take you down to physical therapy and have them run you through some exercises to re-strengthen your body." The doctor said.

"Oh good, it will be nice ta get up out of this bed. It will also be nice ta have a hot shower."

"Very well, I will see you tomorrow. A nurse should be in shortly to help you to the shower." He replied as he turned on one heel and smoothly exited from her room.

While she waited, the young girl spent some time stretching and exercising her arm and her leg in an attempt to work the stiffness and the pain out of the injured limbs. Soon, a dark haired nurse with gleaming caramel colored eyes came in with a smile. "Hello sweetie, shall we get you a nice shower?"

"You bet!" the girl said as she sat up.

Stepping forward with a graceful gliding step the nurse dropped the rail on one side of the bed. As soon as the barrier was out of her way, the small girl swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed off to land lightly on her feet.

"Woah there tiger, you need to take it easy. You just got out of a cast." The nurse lightly scolded.

"Sorry, I'm just excited." The girl replied with down cast eyes. The nurse led her through a second door into a white tile bathroom. In one corner was a rather tall toilet, and on one wall was a porcelain sink with a small mirror above it. In the other corner was a shower curtain with a towel rod set into the wall next to it.

"Hold still sweetie and I will un-tie this robe for you."

Stepping behind the small girl, the nurse knelt down on one knee and quickly undid the string ties that kept the ugly hospital gown closed. After undoing the last one, she stood up and moved to the shower where she started adjusting the water valves as she sought a mixture that gave a nice hot shower, but not too hot.

"I will be outside the door if you need any help sweetie. Just give me a brief call when you get out and I will help get you dried off." The nurse said.

Feeling the needs of a full bladder, the small girl dropped her gown on the floor and then seated herself on the porcelain fixture to take care of her necessary ablutions. After flushing the toilet, she stepped over to the shower, moved the curtain aside and stepped straight into hell.

As she moved underneath the hot water she felt her body change; her sense of balance shifted, she grew a set of male appendages, and her musculature and bone structure reconfigured itself. Reaching back she pulled her pigtail around and discovered to her horror that it had changed from a beautiful red to a glossy black. With a shocked cry she let out a yell of horror and fell into darkness as the terror of the situation overwhelmed her.


	2. Chapter 2

I had some extra time tonight so I thought I would release chapter 2 much earlier than planned. It is a short chapter that really doesn't move the story along, but is more of a setup for events to come in the next chapter. Happy New Year to everyone that is paying attention to this story.

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library.**

**Chapter 2**

For the second time that day, the young child who thought of herself as female found herself woken by loud voices while lying in a hospital bed. Glancing down the child saw that she, or in this terrifying case he, was wet, naked and only covered by a thin sheet.

"What do you mean you heard a cry and found this boy in the shower rather than the young girl you escorted in?" Doctor Shin loudly exclaimed.

"That's exactly what I said!" The nurse yelled back. "I stepped out to make her bed, heard the shout and quickly moved back to the shower where I found this unconscious naked boy."

"Impossible! Someone must have gotten past you and exchanged children!" the doctor loudly accused. "You know how rare a red headed Japanese girl is, the Yakuza alone would love to have someone like that in their hands."

"No one got past me! I don't know how this happened, but there it is." The nurse snarled back as she gestured at the boy with one hand and then folded her arms over her breasts for emphasis.

"Umm, excuse me Doctor Shin, can you tell me what's going on?" the young black haired boy with a pigtail interrupted.

"How do you know my name?" Doctor Shin asked with a scowl.

"Ya introduced yourself ta me this morning when that woman was talking about putting me in an orphanage." The boy replied.

"But that was a young red headed girl, not a young black haired boy such as you." Doctor Shin stated with a puzzled expression.

"I tell ya, that was me. You had me go to X-ray and took the casts and rib bindings off yourself while ya commented on how fast I heal." The young boy said.

"Impossible, you can't be the same child, you are defiantly male and the girl from this morning was female." Doctor Shin insisted.

"Maybe so, but I tell ya, that was me." The boy desperately wailed.

"Impossible, someone must have been spying on her and waiting to switch you with this absurd story. You better tell me who your accomplices are before I call the police." Doctor Shin replied angrily.

"If you're going to question me, do ya think I could have some water first? I'm really thirsty." The boy asked with wide tear filled blue eyes.

"Just a minute, I will get it" The shaken nurse said as she stepped over to the table and poured a glass of ice water. As she turned around, she accidentally hooked one foot into the tangled bed sheet that she had dropped when she was making the bed, tripped and flung the glass of water through the air where it sailed out and landed on top of the boys head.

Upon contact the young man's hair turned red, his body shrank, and his male parts turned female before the doctor's and the nurse's unbelieving eyes. With a shriek, the nurse keeled over and the doctor stood there with a stunned expression on his face.

"Impossible, there has to be some trick." The doctor said with a stressed voice.

"Ummm, Doc, I .. I .. I'm really scared. What's going on? How come I keep changin'? Do other people do this?" The young red head asked with a shaky voice.

"No definitely not. People do not change genders. Though I should have noticed that your large eyes remain a clear sky blue no matter what your gender is and their appearance remains the same." Doctor Shin said shakily.

"You mean people don't go from being a girl to a boy, and then back again?" the redhead timidly asked.

"No, they do not. When did you turn into a boy?" Doctor Shin asked warily.

"When I got in the shower, then I don't remember much except being really scared." She hesitantly answered.

"When you were found as a boy, you were unconscious in the shower. It must have been the shock of transforming. Much like happened with Nurse Yuki when you changed back to a girl." The doctor said as kneeled down to check on the nurse. "Do you think you could get me a cold wash cloth for her forehead?"

"Sure doc, just a sec." The red head replied as she climbed out of bed, wrapped the wet sheet around her and then headed for the bathroom.

As she entered the restroom she could hear the steady thrum of the shower still running. As she reached in to turn it off, she felt herself change back to a boy as the hot water hit her head. With a sigh, the newly male, young boy turned to the sink and found a course white wash cloth. When he reached up and turned on the cold water, the pressure from the tap forcefully streamed into the sink, shot water out everywhere and re-drenched the young boy who instantly felt himself turn back into a she.

"Brrr, that's cold!" the newly remade girl exclaimed with a shiver.

Reaching up and adjusting the flow of water with a heavy sigh, the red headed girl wet the washrag in the stream, turned the tap off and wrung out the cloth. As she walked back out of the bathroom dripping water behind her, she folded the small towel into a compact bundle. After returning to her hospital room, she knelt down and placed the folded cloth on the nurse's forehead.

"There ya go doc." She said with a sigh.

"Why are you soaking wet?" The doctor asked.

"Well, when I went in the bathroom the shower was on so I reached in to turn it off. As I did so it got me all wet and I …. I …. turned back ta a boy. When I turned the sink on, it blasted water all over me and I turned back ta a girl. That's why I'm wet." The redhead quietly answered with down cast eyes. "Does this mean ya don't like me anymore?"

With a slight grin the kind hearted doctor reached out and pulled the young girl to him and gave her a hug. "No, I still like you just fine. You are just an enigma." The doctor answered.

"What's that mean? Are you calling me names?" the red head said with a scowl.

"No, it means a mystery, or a puzzle." The doctor said with a laugh.

"Oh."

"Was the water in the shower still warm?"

"No, it was hot."

"And the water in the sink was cold?"

"Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"Well, we will have to do some tests, but I think I have an idea of how this is happening to you, but not why." The doctor said. "Just a second and I will be right back. Please wait here."

"Kay."

After a few minutes the doctor returned with a couple of pitchers of water and set them on the table. As he did so, the nurse stirred and carefully sat up.

"Oh nurse, your back with us I see." Doctor Shin said with amusement.

"Uh, what's going on? Why am I on the floor?"

"In a word, you fainted."

"Why?" the nurse asked as she looked at the doctor.

"Probably cause of me." The red headed girl said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, I was hoping that was a bad dream." The nurse wearily said as she moved back to her feet.

"Now that you are back on your feet, we can proceed with my experiment. Young lady, if you would please stand right there I am going to pour some water over your head and see if anything happens." The doctor said as he picked up the pitcher of cold water and poured some over the young girls head.

"Brrrrr, that's really cold." She said with a shiver.

"Ok, nothing happened with cold water, let's try the hot." He said.

Changing out pitchers, the doctor poured a measured amount of hot water over his patient's head and watched with amazement as she became a he.

"Doctor?" the nurse questioned. "What in the world could cause that?"

"I don't know. Let's try the cold water again."

Re-exchanging the containers of water, the doctor poured the cold water over the young boy's head and observed as he returned to a she.

"What did ya do that for? That's cold!" The now redheaded girl said as she shook the water off like a wet dog.

"Well, that changes everything. Does it hurt when you transform?" Doctor Shin inquired.

"No, just tingles a little." The girl replied.

"I want to run some tests. You have already proved you heal faster than any human I have ever seen as well as being able to change genders. I wonder what your true abilities are." Doctor Shin said with a thoughtful look. "Oh well, I guess we better get you dried off and get you a new gown. Tomorrow will be soon enough. Nurse?"

"I'm on it Doctor Shin." The nurse said as she opened a closet door and pulled out a towel and a fresh gown. "If you will excuse us, I will get her dressed."

"Of course, see you tomorrow young one." The doctor said as he exited the room and shut the door.

"Ok sweetie, off with the sheet." The nurse said with a smile.

Quickly unwrapping the dripping wet sheet, the redhead held her arms out as the nurse wrapped a large white towel around her body, then used a smaller one to dry her hair. Carefully untying the girl's hair, she found a hair brush and carefully worked on her till her hair shone.

"Do you want me to redo your pigtail?"

"Yes please, something tells me it is important. Also, I feel ya need to use the same piece of string, for some reason I feel uneasy about losing it." The red head replied.

"Okay sweetie, now that you're freshened up, we need to get you into bed. You have had a big day." The nurse said as she redid the girl's hair.

"Kay, I am a little tired."

"Ok, all done. Now into bed with you." The nurse said as she tucked the young redhead into her bed. "Nighty night, sleep well."

"Thanks. Good night."

As the nurse left, she turned off the light and left the door open just a hair.

Looking around her moonlit room, the redhead desperately tried to remember something of value about herself, her own name, anything. But it was a blank slate and nothing would come. With a slightly scared feeling she drifted off into an uneasy sleep filled with vague shadowy images that whenever she tried to focus on them faded away like ethereal smoke on the wind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Red Suoh and the Eldrich Library.**

**Chapter 3**

"Morning Red. Time to get up, we have a full schedule for you today." Toshiro said with a smile as he wheeled in a hospital chair.

"What time is it?" The red headed girl said with big yawn and a large stretch.

"It's 'O' six hundred. Do you know what the 'O' stands for?" he replied with a straight face.

"Uhh, no, I don't."

"Oh my god it's early." Toshiro replied with a wink.

"Ha, Ha. Very funny." She said with a loud yawn.

"Ok, ok, it wasn't a very good joke." He said while waving his hands in a gesture of surrender. "They want to start off with some of the exercise tests before you eat. They don't want you getting sick from over exertion. So, if you will hop out of that bed and into this chair, I will take you down to the gym."

Something deep and primal exploded in the young girl's heart at the mention of morning exercises. With a cry of "Great!" she leaped out of bed in an explosion of blankets, into a front flip with a twist as she finished with a perfect landing into a seated position in the wheel chair.

"Whoa! I have never seen anything like that before." Toshiro said with wide eyes and a startled expression.

"Let's go!"

"Ok, Red we're off." Toshiro said as he wheeled her out the door of her room.

An elevator ride down and a few hallways later they came to a door labeled "Physical rehab", and backed through it into a large, mirror lined room filled with weights, cycles, treadmills, a large red exercise mat, and a few punching bags. Standing by some monitor equipment were several nurses, a couple of unknown doctors, and Dr. Shin.

"Ahh, there you are. First we want to test your girl side, and then we want to test your boy side after lunch." Dr. Shin said with a smile. "We will have you hooked up to these machines to monitor your heart rate, breathing, and other functions."

"Can I stay and watch? If her performance is half of what I saw when I asked her to get in the chair, this is going to be amazing." Toshiro said with anticipation.

"Sure, we are going to start with the tread mill. We will start off at a walk then move to a run as it inclines. Nurse, would you please hook up the sensors to our young patient?"

An unfamiliar female nurse stepped forward and placed some sticky pads to various areas of the young girl's torso, then helped her over to the treadmill and started it up at a slow walk.

"Let us know if your leg hurts, you just came out of a cast and we need to be careful."

"Kay!" she said as she moved along at a walk.

"Her heartbeat is slower than most athletes while at rest, I am going to increase the speed to a fast walk for an adult, Doctor." The dark haired nurse said after ten minutes.

"Very well, you may proceed."

As the tread mill sped up, the girl increased her speed with a yawn and effortlessly continued at an easy pace.

"Um, doctor . . . her heart rate has slowed down even further. Shall we take it up to a run?"

"Very well, and increase the incline to full height."

With the sound of a whirring motor, the exercise device raised itself up to about a forty five degree incline, and sped up to a good running pace for an adult. Without a hitch, the patient increased her sped to match the running belt and lightly ran on her toes. As she ran, her breathing rate became deep, slow and steady and her heart monitor stayed the same.

"This is easy doc, don't this thing go any faster?" the girl asked with a smile.

"Nurse, what is the maximum speed of this tread mill?" The doctor asked with a slight frown.

"It can go up to thirty miles an hour if overdriven, but we have never taken it past eighteen. Most people can't even run that fast." The nurse replied.

"Increase it until our young friend says it is too fast, then hold it at that speed and let's see how long she can maintain that pace. I have a feeling we are going to see something new."

Adjusting a dial, the nurse kept ramping up the speed until the treadmill ran with a high pitched whine as it reached maximum and the young girl was running full out.

"Well, that finally got her breathing and her heart beat up a little bit, but it is still slower than a full blown athlete at rest. How are you doing miss?" The nurse said with raised eyebrows.

"No problem, this is fun. I think I could do this for quite a while."

"We will see about that." The doctor said.

Time seemed to crawl to a halt as the girl ran and the treadmill whined out its protest. After an hour, the girl was finally breathing hard and was covered in sweat.

"Ok nurse, now we know what it takes to get her heartbeat up to that of a well rested athlete at the start of a run. Let's wind it down and get her something to eat and drink. After that we will test her physical strength."

"That was easy; I can go faster than that." The young girl said excitedly as her stomach let out a loud growl. "What's for breakfast, I'm starving!"

"Since you need your strength for today sweetie, I have someone bringing down a course of steak and eggs with a side of strawberry waffles."

"YAY!"

"Oh look, here comes Hiroto with the trolley. We will let you eat over at that table in the corner."

"Kay!" Red said as she leaped halfway across the room with one bound then dashed to the chair.

As Hiroto set the food in front of her, her hands became a blur as she shoveled everything in sight into her mouth at an inhuman rate of speed."

"Hmmm, this ish oodd!" she said around a mouthful of food.

"Now, now dearie. You shouldn't talk with your mouth full." The nurse chided as the young girl finished her meal and sat back with a loud burp.

"What's next?" the girl asked as she patted her stomach.

"Weights, young lady. Let's see how much you can bench press. We have the weight machine set for fifty pounds. For most girls around your age, that would be more weight than they can lift."

With a smile the young girl laid down on the bench of the machine she was steered towards. Placing both hands on the bar where she was shown to by a male physical therapist, she easily lifted the weights as if they weren't there.

"This is light, think we can double it?" the girl asked.

"Sure, 100 pounds coming up." The Doctor agreed.

After the increase in weight, the red head once again reached up and easily lifted the weight.

"Let's try another fifty." Doctor Shin said with a raised eyebrow.

Reaching up the girl lifted the weight with a small exertion.

"No problem."

"Can you do that ten times?" Doctor shin asked.

"Sure, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Easy."

"How far up does this machine go?"

"Three hundred and fifty, but I have never seen anyone do more than two hundred."

"Set it for two fifty."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes I am." The doctor replied.

"Ok." The physical therapist said as he adjusted the pin. "Go ahead and try it."

With a grunt, the young girl pushed out ten, slow careful repetitions that got steadily harder with the last one being a struggle to get it up and it came back down a little too fast.

"All right, that was really hard." The girls said with deep measured breaths.

"Ok, take a rest for a few minutes while we set up the leg machine."

"Kay!"

"First set it for two hundred and fifty, then we will take it up to five hundred. Most people's legs are twice as strong as their legs." Doctor Shin said thoughtfully.

"If you say so, but I can't do more than three fifty. I don't see how you expect her to do five hundred. Of course I still can't believe I just watched her bench press two fifty." The physical Therapist said with a shake of his head.

"Ok Red, you get on the machine like this. Lay with your back on the sloping bench, and then press out with your legs after you put your feet here." Her nurse, Toshiro, said with a smile.

"Red?" Dr. Shin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it seems much better than 'hey you,' or 'girl.' Besides, it seems to fit her and she says she doesn't mind. Right Red?"

"You Bet! Now let's lift this puppy." Red said as she easily straightened her legs and pressed the weight up.

"Wow, you made that look easy." The physical therapist said.

"Take it up to Five Hundred; let's see if she can do that. Then we can move onto other tests. I don't want to overstress her recently healed injuries."

"Ok." The physical Therapist said as he stacked several more plates on the leg press machine. "Go ahead and give it your best young lady."

With a grunt, the pig tailed girl shoved forward as hard as she could and slammed the weight upwards where it stopped with a loud clang as the steel plates shifted from the violent action. Taking a deep breath the young girl lowered her legs and then repeatedly extended them in and out ten more times before returning back to her starting position. After deep breathing from her exertions she carefully stood up and started to stretch out.

"Have you ever seen anything like that Doc?" The physical therapist asked with an awe stricken voice as he watched the young girl extend her foot up from the floor and bring it straight up behind her head so that she was standing perfectly balanced on one foot with the toes of her other foot pointed straight up at the ceiling after she had been unhooked from the machines.

"Nope, can't say that I have. I would like to see how much she could dead lift, but I don't want to over strain her recently healed injuries. As limber as she is, I think we ought to try gymnastics next." Doctor Shin replied. "What do you think Toshiro?"

"Hey, Red! Bet you can't do a series of cartwheels, into a round off and finish with a triple back flip." Nurse Toshiro said with a mischievous grin at the doctor.

"You just watch" Red said with a grinning smirk as she sprang halfway across the room with a bound that carried her fifteen feet into the air and then turned into a front flip that brought her down into a full run onto the mat where she cart wheeled diagonally across it, moved into a perfect round off, hit the mat powerfully with both feet, sprang about twenty feet into the air and finished with eight back flips to a perfect landing with upraised arms. "Ta, DA!"

"Oh, very nice; Good Job, Bravo!" Toshiro said as he applauded enthusiastically. "I've seen Olympic gymnasts that couldn't do better."

"How did you know she could do something like that?" Doctor Shin asked with a slight scowl of disapproval.

"You didn't see her jump into her wheel chair this morning. She did a front twist with a half flip. Do we have any rhythmic gymnastics equipment such as ribbons, hoops, clubs and balls?"

"Yeah, we have some in the closet over there. There is a club that meets here in the gym once a week. Why?" The physical Therapist asked.

"I kind of wonder if she is a trained gymnast; if she is we might be able to trace her family that way." Toshiro said.

"Good idea Toshiro." Doctor Shin said, and then turned his eyes towards the physical therapist "Would you please get her some equipment to play with?"

"Sure."

Stepping across the room, the therapist opened a closet and retrieved a bag and a large blue plastic hoop. Moving over to the mat he opened the bag, removed a long green ribbon with a steel handle, some wooden clubs, and a red ball.

"Hey Red! Why don't you try playing with these and see if they spark any memories." Toshiro said as he gave her a thumbs up gesture.

"Kay!" Red said as hopped over to the pile of stuff. Picking up the ball she bounced it a couple of times, then tossed it up in the air and caught in on her right index finger where she balanced it for a minute with a thoughtful expression. After a couple of minutes moving it from fingertip to fingertip, she jumped high in the air with a loud yell and smacked the ball across the room like a volley ball where it hit a wooden chair and smashed it to pieces.

As she landed she went into a front roll and came to her feet with the clubs spinning in both her hands. With a back flip she landed on the back of another chair and perched on one leg while she exchanged the clubs back and forth between her hands and around her body spinning them like a set of nunchaku. With a loud "kia" she launched herself into the air twisted and sent both clubs across the room to imbed them halfway into the concrete wall.

With a half twist she landed on the mat in a handstand, did a walk over and came up with the ribbon handle in her right hand and the ribbon stretched between her first two fingers in her left. As she stepped forward she started spinning the ribbon in a hypnotic swirl and then began a quick series of snapping motions that caused the ribbon to crack like a whip. With a quick whirl she grabbed a chair with her ribbon by flicking her wrist to move it from one side of the mat to the other and then snapped the ribbon out using it to pull the hoop into her left hand where she caught it and then dropped the ribbon.

With a huge leap and a backwards flip she yelled out the words "Razor Hoop!" and threw the hoop like a frizbee at the chair. As the hoop flew it started to glow with a light yellow aura as it picked up speed, cut through the chair, rose up, looped around and returned to Red's left hand as she landed on the mat.

"Woah! Stop! That isn't any type of rhythmic gymnastics I have ever seen!" The therapist yelled in dismay at the destruction he was witnessing.

"Sorry." Red said as she hung her head, placed one foot behind the other and twirled her toes on the ground.

"Umm Doctor? That looked a lot like a martial art to me, not a gymnastic display." The nurse said.

"But who ever heard of a martial art that uses gymnastic equipment?" The physical Therapist said with a puzzled expression.

"Does that Karate class still meet here in the afternoons?" Toshiro queried.

"Yes, in fact they will be arriving in about an hour."

"Toshiro, I want you to take, umm, Red down to the cafeteria and get her and yourself some lunch. After lunch we will meet back here and have her join that class and see how she does. This may be a clue to who she is. We can test her boy side after the karate." Doctor Shin expressed as he placed one hand under his chin and studied the young girl jumping, flipping and running across the mat with the kind of agility a gold medal gymnast would envy while she laughed with glee.

After a quick lunch Red found herself back in the gym, standing on the mat in a line of karate students while wearing a white gi held closed with a white belt. In front of her stood a man wearing a brown gi held closed with a black belt with a red stripe indicating he was a master.

"For those of you, who don't know me, my name is Tadashi, Hikiro but you may simply call me Sensei. Today we will practice how to get out of a front choke hold. The first technique is done by simply ducking your chin, turning around and then walking away thus breaking the hold. Hiro, step up and choke me so I can demonstrate."

"Yes Sensei." A taller male student wearing a green belt said as he stepped up in front of Sensei Tadashi. Reaching out he placed both hands around the older man's neck. With a snake like movement of his head he quickly turned and walked right out of Hiro's grip.

"That's how easy it is, now partner up and give it a try."

With a sigh Red turned and looked up at an older teenage boy, rolled her eyes and uttered a quiet "How lame."

Unfortunately, she wasn't quite quiet enough with her commentary to prevent the Sensei overhearing her. With a deep scowl, he stepped over next to her and glared down at her.

"Lame? What would you do then if someone grabbed you by the throat?" he demanded with a frown.

"Kick his ass." She replied with a smirk.

"Oh, and how would you do that if they were twice or even three times your size?" Tadashi replied with a slightly sinister smile as he evaluated his newest pupil.

"Size doesn't matter, only technique and that one was lame." Red replied with folded arms.

"That is standard teaching for white belts in many forms of Karate." Sensei Tadashi replied.

"Doesn't mean it ain't lame." Red said as she leaned forward at the waist, set her fists on her hips .and glared back up at him with an upturned face.

"All right, young lady, we will test your premise. First you will do it my way and then you can show all of us how you would do it."

"Kay, but I won't be responsible for what happens." Red said with a serious expression.

"Hikaro, step up and choke our eager young lady please. Everyone else form a circle for this demonstration." Tadashi said with a wave of his hand.

A large Asian man who stood around six feet tall with the build of a weight lifter and a black belt around his middle stepped forward with an explosive "Yes, Sensei!"

Reaching out the man bent at the waist, placed his large hands around the young girl's throat and waited. With an explosive turn Red spun and walked away from her opponent. "The problem with this technique is that you turn your back on your opponent and give him a free shot. As I walk away he can punch me, kick me or jump on my back and get me into a rear mount with a choke hold. Not Safe." The redhead loudly announced with amazing authority in her voice especially for such a small girl.

Turning back around the young girl walked back up to her larger opponent and stood defiantly in front of him with her knees slightly bent and her legs spread in a wide balanced stance. "Now I want you to not only choke me, but lift me off the ground. I'll try not to hurt you too bad." She said with a confident smirk.

Hikaro turned and gave his teacher a questioning look who answered with a shrug of his shoulders and a dismissive go ahead motion of his right hand. Returning his attention to Red he stepped forward, wrapped his dust bin sized hands around her throat and lifted her off the ground up to his eye level.

As he did so, Red grabbed both of his wrists with her hands, Swung her feet up in between his arms and flipped up into a hand stand balanced with both of her hands firmly on his arms as if they were a set of parallel bars, twisted her body around so that as she came down she faced away from her opponent and continued on over towards the ground with so much speed and power that she pulled Hikaro towards her. As her feet touched down she let out an explosive yell and bent her body forward as she pulled her arms down. This motion pulled Hikaro off his feet through the air and slammed him onto his back driving all the air out of his body with an explosive gasp.

With a massive leap she exploded upwards into a front flip with a one hundred and eighty degree twist to come down with both feet into the middle of his breadbasket and finished driving the last gasp of air from his lungs. With a quick step she kicked him on the point of his chin and drove him into unconsciousness. Leaping up through the air into a backwards flip she landed on her feet into a casual fighting stance, bowed to the unconscious form of Hikaro, then straightened to a standing position.

"That is how ya take care of someone trying to choke you; with speed, power, agility and surprise. When someone attacks you, show no mercy and never give them the chance to hurt you. When it is you or them then anything goes." Red said with confidence as she faced towards Sensei Tadashi. "Any questions?"

With an expression of shock Doctor Shin quickly hurried over and checked Hikaro's pulse and monitored him for breathing. Looking up with surprised fear he said "He isn't breathing. If he doesn't start soon there could be serious problems."

"Geeze, I figured as big as he was and with that belt around his waist he was tougher than that. Here, let me look at him." She said as she walked over to him. "Hmm, his aura is definitely showing signs of distress."

Bending over, she turned Hikaro onto his belly with a slight grunt and then pressed ten different points on his back. With a shudder and a loud intake of air the large man began breathing in and out with deep shuddering gasps then rolled over and sat up with stunned surprise as he stared with shock at the young girl standing next to him.

"He'll be a'right now."

"How did you know how to do any of that?" Doctor Shin asked.

"Don't know, it just came to me." Red shrugged. "It jus' felt right."

"Young Lady! You should never hurt a training partner like that. What were you thinking?" Sensei Tadashi said with a stern expression on his face.

"Geeze, how was I supposed to know someone that large and strong was that fragile? He's wearing a black belt, I figured he knew what he was doing and could take some light contact." Red said with a shrug.

"You consider that light?!"

"Yep." She said with a cocky grin.

"What would you consider to be heavy contact?" The Physical Therapist asked with a small amount of awe in his voice.

"Well, first you would have to at least be sparring, not just doing techniques. A real fight would of course require strong powerful contact and I think some fights require special techniques and maybe ki attacks if you can pull them off." Red said thoughtfully with an inwardly turned expression on her face.

"Ki attacks?! That's just a myth." Sensei Tadashi said.

"No, I don't think so. I think the first ki technique is the ability to display a battle aura, like this!"

With that said, the girl took a powerful attack stance, and with a loud yell started to glow bright blue while an incredible feeling of anger and danger radiated off of her with so much force that everyone took three steps back while their eyes bugged out of their head. Then with a tired sigh she relaxed and returned to being a cute little red head instead of a figure to be feared.

"Wow that took more out of me than I thought it would." She said as she suddenly sat down on the mat with a bump and a small gasp.

"I - Impossible!" Sensei Tadashi gasped.

"Are you all right Red?" Doctor Shin asked with a worried frown.

"Yes, I just overestimated how much ki I could use. For some reason I feel my ki reserves should be much, much higher. Maybe I used up more ki than I thought while I healed." Red said with a slight pout.

"Ok, sit there and rest for a minute Red. Sensei Tadashi, is she a martial artist or just a natural fighter?" Doctor Shin said.

"I don't know what she is. She appears to have some serious training, but I would have to see her do some katas and break some boards or bricks before I could say whether or not she is just a fighter or a martial artist." Tadashi said as he looked up at the doctor with a slightly stunned expression. "I have never seen anyone generate a battle aura before. I thought that was just legend and fantasy."

"Have you ever heard of anyone performing incredible martial art demonstrations similar to this?" Doctor Shin asked.

"Nerima. There are rumors of powerful martial artists congregating in Nerima. But every martial artist I know dismisses that as wild urban legends." Tadashi replied with a slight scowl as he folded his arms for emphasis.

Turning towards Red Doctor Shin queried "Does Nerima ring any bells with you?"

"Nope, but most names don't seem to mean much ta me." Red replied with a thoughtful expression and a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yep! If someone was willing to show me a kata, I think I want to try one. It seems like it should be something very familiar ta me." She said as she eagerly bounced to her feet.

"Ok, I will start off with a basic Shodan Kata. Let's see if you can follow me." Sensei Tadashi said as he took up an opening stance. After a short bow he began to move precisely through the kata known as Taikyoku shodan.

Coming back to attention at the end of the kata he turned to Red and said "Ok, your turn."

With a brief nod, Red took up a ready stance then proceeded to smoothly flow through the kata with an elegance and understanding that made Tadashi look like an amateur. After returning to attention, she paused with a frown on her face and then proceeded to move through two more Shodan Katas with even more grace and power than the first one.

After a thoughtful pause, she proceeded to move through every Pinan Kata, and around one hundred others, each one coming faster and smoother than the one preceding the other. Coming to a rest she started to inhale and exhale as if she was about to hyperventilate, then with an unexpected "Kia" she started to explode into the air, through the air, slamming her feet back down onto the mat and continually picking up speed until she was a white and red blur with precision motion that was both graceful and powerful. With one last explosive display of aerial kicks that seemed to defy gravity as if she could fly free of the bounds of the earth and seemed to keep her in the air far longer than should be possible, she came to a rest in a relaxed combat stance.

"I have never seen anything like that! I think you covered every kata taught in Karate, Kung Fu, Akido and even Jujitsu. As for that last one, I have never seen that one anywhere and I collect and study katas as a very serious hobby. Do you feel up to trying some brick breaking?" Tadashi asked with excitement.

"Sure! Sounds like fun." Red replied.

"Haiko, go to the storage and bring back thirty cement blocks. Ayumu get all the weapons from the weapons closet. Also grab the sparring pads. I think we are going test her here and now." Sensei Tadashi said.

"Yes! Sensei!" They said in unison.

After a couple of minutes Ayumu returned with several bags of weapons slung over his back and set them by the side of the mat. Unzipping the bags he began setting out a wide variety of martial arts weapons both Japanese and Chinese.

"Ok little tiger, why don't you start with the wooden weapons and see what katas you remember with them. Start with the short staff."

"Kay!" Red said as she ran over and grabbed the short staff and then ran to the center of the mat. After a couple of minutes she proceeded to run through every short staff Kata Tadashi knew and several he had never seen without a hitch or an error.

"Ok, next!" Tadashi said and proceeded to watch the young pig tailed girl flow through every weapon there, both wood and steel with a precision and a perfection he had never seen. It was visually beautiful to watch and as elegant as any dance ever seen on a stage.

"Haiko, stack up a couple of blocks." Tadashi ordered.

"Yes, Sensei!" Haiko replied as he set up two supports and then placed two concrete blocks on top with a spacer set in between them.

"Ok, little dragon, please break those bricks with a shoto chop." Tadashi said with a go ahead gesture.

"Kay!" Red said as she stepped up made one practice strike and without warning exploded through the concrete like it was paper. "That was easy!" She said as small pieces of concrete bounced down around her.

"Haiko, stack up ten concrete blocks."

"Yes, Sensei!" Haiko said as he followed his instructions.

"Ok, little dragon, please break these with an axe kick."

"Sure!"

Stepping up to the stack, she found that they were stacked above her head. With a leap that took her about ten feet up into the air she started to descend with a loud yell as her foot made contact with the top block on its way down from a position above her head. Upon contact, the first block appeared to vaporize in a flash of white light and with a loud crack that bordered on an explosion all ten blocks shattered into rubble.

"HOLY Cow!" Toshiro exclaimed.

"I have never seen anything like that!" The physical Therapist said.

The rest of the karate class let out a loud "Wow!" and started to applaud.

"Hikaro, stack up the last of the blocks."

"Umm, Sensei there are fourteen blocks left here. That would make a stack that is about seven feet tall. Are you sure?" Hikaro asked with trepidation.

"Yes I am. Now get to it" Tadashi said with a wave of his hand. "Little dragon, when he has those stacked, you may break these anyway you choose."

"Kay!"

"Sensei Tadashi, are you sure about this? She just recovered from some serious broken bones. This seems like a lot of impact. Can you do a stack that tall?" Doctor Shin asked with concern.

"No I can't. But I think she can. We are watching legends at work. I can only do eight blocks, I have never seen anyone do ten, but she did so with ease. Let's watch. I don't think she would try this break if she didn't feel she could."

"All right, but I am trusting you on this." Doctor Shin said with a disapproving crease showing between his eyes.

Looking up at the stack, Red peered around and dragged a table over by the stack, placed a tall gymnastic block on the table and then climbed up on top of everything. Carefully placing her right open hand palm down on the block she paused and took a couple of deep slow breaths.

"Iron Palm, Breaking Point combined!" She yelled as a white glow surrounded her hand she lifted it up a couple of inches and then slowly set it back down until her hand once again rested on the top block. Then with a loud crack and a bright flash of light, the stack collapsed as each block broke in succession till they hit the floor in a large pile of rubble.

As the rubble quit falling a deep silence blanketed the room for a brief count that was broken with loud cheers and applause for her demonstration.

"Well, all we need is a sparring match." Tadashi said. "Hikaro, Ayumu, Chinatsu, Daiki, and Etsuko get your gear on and then form a circle in the center of the mat around the little dragon!"

"Yes Sensei!" They echoed as they complied with his command.

"Little dragon, they are going to attack you at the same time. Defend yourself as you see fit, but please don't break them." Sensei Tadashi said. "Do you understand?"

"Yep! This should be fun!" Red said excitedly.

"Begin!" Tadashi said.

With a yell Etsuko exploded forward with a powerful front kick that Red casually swayed out of the way of and into a back hand spring that brought both her feet backwards into a double kick into the chest of Ayumu who flew across the room and hit the wall to slide down it into unconsciousness. With a series of explosive punches and chops Hikaro attacked as she weaved back and forth between the blows as if he was attacking in slow motion. With a quick step to the right she faked a kick at Chinatsu, then ducked between Hikaro's legs and dropped him with a low spinning sweep, leaped onto his back and knocked him out for the second time that day with a pressure point to the back of his neck.

With a fast leap into the air, Red pivoted and flew at Chinatsu with a flying side kick that was blocked. As one foot touched down she exploded up over Chinatsu's return front kick and caught her female opponent with a flying round house kick to the chin that dropped her like she had been pole axed.

With a scream Daiki threw himself into the fray with a series of spinning aerial kicks and punches that briefly drove the young girl back until with a leap of her own she met Daiki in the air, countered his kick with one leg and slammed him back down to land unconscious on the mat with a kick from the other leg. With a light flip in the air she came down to rest in an open combat stance.

"Very nice! Doc, you want to check them out. They should be fine, but they are going to be sore." Tadashi said as he smiled at Red.

After a few minutes Doctor Shin had the combatants back on their feet. While he did that, Tadashi had stepped over to one of the storage closets and removed a wrapped package, a scroll and a small table. Carefully setting up the table and placing the package and the scroll on the table, he added a brush, some ink, and then straightened up.

"Class, please form four lines and stand at attention. Little dragon, would you please do me the honor of joining me at the table?" Tadashi asked formally.

"Kay." Red said as she moved over and knelt down on one side of the table and Tadashi kneeled down on the other.

"Little dragon, never have I seen such a display. As a teacher of several styles and a master of Shure Te, it is my honor to have tested you today. Please remove that white belt, fold it and place it in front of me on the table."

As she removed and folded the belt, Tadashi un-wrapped a black belt with a white stripe running the length of it and red stripes on both ends. When she had placed the white belt on the table, he pulled it over in front of him and placed the other belt on the table in front of her.

"It is my honor to name you a master martial artist, with all the teaching rights and privileges that go with the rank. I have never before seen a more perfect display of the art. Please wear this with honor." Tadashi said with a smile.

With a bow, Red picked up the belt with both hands and said "Thank you." Then she carefully wrapped the overly long new belt around her waist.

With a flourish Tadashi unrolled the scroll, dipped the brush into the ink and signed his name along with Red's new rank.

"Little dragon, if you ever remember your true name I will rewrite this scroll for you. This is your official certificate naming you a master. It has been my pleasure to meet you." Tadashi said with a bow as he held the scroll out to the young girl who had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, this honor means a great deal to me. I don't know why, but I feel like I have waited more years than I have been alive for this moment." She said with a teary smile.

"I apologize for the length of the belt; it is my formal dress belt." Tadashi said with a smile. Turning to Doctor Shin he continued. "I declare that she is a master martial artist of a caliber that I have had yet to encounter."

"Well, this explains a lot about her, her uncanny healing and strength both make sense if you think of the training she must have endured in her young life to achieve this." Doctor Shin quietly said to himself.

"Ok! Everyone line up to bow out. Red, please stand next to me facing the class on my right side." Tadashi commanded in a loud voice.

With hurried movements the class lined up by rank with white belts in the front row and the rest standing behind them according to rank. Each student clasped his left fist with the palm of their right hand in Unison with Sensei Tadashi and Red. At an unseen signal they all bowed when he did along with Red while keeping their eyes on the ground. When everyone had straightened back up, Red and Tadashi turned towards each and also bowed in unison in a show of respect of equals. After they had returned to a full upright position, Tadashi turned back towards the class.

"Class dismissed! Get your gear together and head out. Doctor Shin needs to use the gym for some tests on a patient." Tadashi announced and then turned towards the newly appointed martial arts master. "Little Dragon, I will see you another day. I have an appointment I can't miss. Until then, train well and train hard."

"Kay! I look forward ta seein' ya again." Red replied with a wide happy grin.

With a turn, Sensei Tadashi followed his students out the side exit that opened onto the public parking area.

"OK Red, now that you have had your fun, we need to run the same tests on your male half that we ran on your female half this morning." Doctor Shin said.

"Hey Doc, I've got a question for ya. How come you didn't know I turned inta a boy with hot water until after I tried ta take a shower." Red asked with her head cocked to one side as if thinking of that for the first time.

"That's because we had never used hot water on you before then. You came in with acute hypothermia and we only use tepid or luke warm water with hypothermia patients and patients that haven't yet regained consciousness to avoid inducing shock. That is standard practice in this hospital because of the number of skiing accidents we see."

"Ummm, what's hypothermia?"

"That's what happens to you when you get too cold and your body temperature drops below 95 degrees. It is dangerous to warm people up too quickly when they are too cold, so we have procedures to do so slowly. You were in that river for a long time and at this time of year; a lot of it is fed by snow melt." Doctor Shin replied as they walked back towards the weights.

"Oh." Red replied with a shrug. "Now I know. Thanks."

After a quick gender change with some hot water the new series of tests began. As a boy Red was able to lift more weight than as a girl, but he was a little slower on the tread mill and his hand speed didn't seem as quick though he was more powerful. After finishing up the new round of tests including a series of gymnastic exercises where he showed he could also jump higher and more explosively as a boy, Red turned back to her currently familiar form with a dose of cold water.

"Tomorrow I want X-rays and cat scans done in both of her forms. I want to see what the differences are when she is a boy and when she is a girl. Toshiro, please see she gets a good dinner and then help to her room. I'm sure she must be tired after all of that exertion. Also, if you would, stick around till she has got herself washed up. After that go home and get some rest. You have a long day running scans on her tomorrow." The doctor said as he turned his eyes in Toshiro's direction.

"You got it doc." He replied. "Let's go Red. Let's get you in your chair and then off to the cafeteria."

"The chair? Why? I can walk jus' fine."

"Hospital regulations regarding the transport of patients; I don't make them, I just follow them." Toshiro replied with a smile.

"Kay." She sulkily replied as she flopped down in the chair. "Let's go Jeeves." She joked as Toshiro wheeled her from the gym.


	4. Chapter 4

I accidentally put a typo in this chapter, so it has been fixed. As a couple of reviews correctly pointed out that twenty thousand yen would be way too much for the item in question because the exchange rate would make it a cost of two thousand dollars. When I originally calculated the cost I figured a 'twenty' dollar price tag for the toy at an exchange rate of around ninety yen to one dollar and then just rounded up for ease of an even number which would be two thousand yen. But then apparently I had a sudden attack of dyslexia and typed 'twenty' thousand and just never noticed the mistake. Thanks for the nice reviews and for catching that one.

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 4**

"Morning Red." Toshiro said as he wheeled a chair into her hospital room. "No breakfast today, we have several scans we need to take before you can eat."

"What!? How long is that going ta take? I'm hungry!" Red said

"Most of the morning, but if your good I will take you out of the hospital for any food available in town." Toshiro said with a smile."

With a leap, she landed in the chair. "What are we waiting for; the sooner we get this done the sooner we eat!"

After a brief trip through the halls of the hospital they came to the CT scan facility.

"Ok Red, you're going to have to lie very still when you are on this machine. It will move you into that narrow tube or 'doughnut hole' and it will take very complete pictures of your insides. This is going to take at least an hour for your girl side and then another hour with your boy side to finish up. And at times we will have to ask you to hold your breath. Think you can do that?" Toshiro said as he turned a smile in the young girl's direction.

"Jus' don't be surprised if I get bored and fall asleep." She said with a yawn.

"We are going to have to hook up an IV to your arm that contains a dye that will allow us to get a better reading." Toshiro said. "Nurse Yuki will be here shortly to hook you up. Meanwhile we need you to get out of that gi and put on this gown but keep your under wear on. Please make sure you are not wearing any metal objects."

"Kay!" Red said as she started to take off her clothes.

"Umm, I meant behind the curtain. Young ladies should have some feminine modesty and not change in front of men or boys." Toshiro said as he steered her into a changing room.

"Oh. Don't really see the difference, this gown don't cover much." Red said as she moved into the changing room.

"It's the principle of the thing." Toshiro replied.

"After a couple of minutes she returned to the main area just in time for Nurse Yuki to come bustling in.

"Hello Sweetie." She said with a smile. "If you will sit in that chair, we will get you hooked up."

Stepping over to a supply cabinet Yuki took an IV needle, some tubing and some tape out. After closing the cabinet, she placed things on to a rolling stainless steel tray that she wheeled over by the girl and seated herself on a black padded stool that sat on four small casters. Reaching into a front pocket on her uniform she pulled out a pair of scissors and cut off two lengths of tape that she hung from the edge of the tray.

"This is going to sting a little bit Sweetie, but I understand you're tough and brave so it shouldn't be a problem for you." She smiled as she picked up a sterilization packet, took out the small swab and swabbed the inside of her left elbow.

Tossing the packet and its contents into the trash, she picked up the IV needle and carefully inserted it into her patient's arm and then secured it in place with some tape. After a brief examination of her work, she nodded her head and then moved back over to the supply cabinet, took out a drip IV bag, placed it on an electronic drip feed stand and finished hooking the tubing up to Red's arm.

After about 20 minutes the nurse disconnected the drip feed and removed the IV needle. While holding a cotton ball in place, she covered it with a Totoro bandage to stop the bleeding from the IV.

"Ok Dearie, you're all wired for sound. Good luck." Nurse Yuki winked as she hustled back out the door.

Toshiro gestured at the CAT scan. "All right Red, lie down on this table and we will get started. First we get scans with you as a girl, and then we will get you rescanned as a boy."

With a sigh of resignation Red stood up and headed for the bench and laid down on it. "May as well get this over with."

Hiding a smile Toshiro moved to the control panel and started the scan.

A couple of hours later Toshiro looked at a black haired boy with a pigtail who was snoring loudly on the table of the CAT scan. "Hey, wake up we're done."

Sitting up the boy gave a big stretch with wide yawn. "Bout time. Can we eat now?"

"What are you a walking stomach?"

"Hey, a growing kid has ta eat ta keep up their strength."

Toshiro feigned a shocked look "Strength!? I don't think I have seen full grown men as strong as you are."

"Yeah, yeah. Can I change back to the gi so we go to lunch like you promised?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Stepping to the bathroom, the young boy picked up the gi and walked in. After closing the door he walked towards the sink and turned on the cold water. "Man, I really need to go. I think I will turn back, I'm not yet sure I know how to go as a guy."

Grabbing a double handful of water he quickly dumped it over his head and thus triggering his change from a he to a she. "Brrr, that's cold"

After a quick tinkle, as she was turning to flush the toilet she glanced down and shouted in surprise at what she saw. "AHHHH! It's purple! What's wrong with me? It's not supposed to be purple!"

"Red! Hey Red! It's only the dye from the tests. Things go back to normal in a couple of days." Toshiro knocked. "Sorry, I forgot to warn you about that."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Kay, I'll be out in a moment." Red said with relief.

With a smile, she dropped the ugly gown in a corner and started to put on her gi. As she dressed she day dreamed about what she wanted to eat to satiate her growling stomach. She needed enough food to satiate her extreme appetite without having to be greedy and order too many things at the same time. After a brief review of food choices she came to a decision.

Stepping from the bathroom Red grinned up at Toshiro and announced. "I want all you can eat sushi!"

"Sounds good, I know a good place that's just a couple of blocks from here. We can walk."

Without any warning she quickly scooped Toshiro up, leaped to the windows, rapidly opened one and then enthusiastically jumped out before he could begin to lodge a protest.

"Great! Let's go!"

"Ahhh! Wait! We're on the third floor! Oh no! Tooo Laaaaaaate!" Toshiro screamed as they fell.

With a grunt and a quick bounce Red landed and then placed Toshiro back on his own two feet.

"What was that you said?" She asked with her head tilted to one side and a puzzled expression on her face.

"Ummm nothing" Toshiro sheepishly said as he examined himself. "Ummm, I didn't wet my pants on the way down did I?"

"Nope, you look fine ta me. Let's go." She said as she reached out and took his hand.

"All right, this way." Toshiro said as he shakily pointed down the side walk.

Before he could finish pointing, she took off at a run while towing Toshiro behind her like a kite on a string.

"All right! Let's hurry!" She enthusiastically yelled as she ran down the street.

After a couple of blocks she screeched to a halt in front of a building proclaiming itself to be "Hikaru's all you can eat sushi."

"We're here, we're here!" Red exclaimed with excitement as she jumped up and down.

"Can we please enjoy the walk next time instead of acting like a bullet train?" Toshiro asked with a quaver in his voice.

"Sorry." Red said as she apologetically looked down and kicked at the ground with one foot. "Can we go in now? I'm really hungry."

"Sure, let's go."

Pushing open the doors they were greeted with a bow by a young woman wearing a lavender kimono with pink flowers. "Welcome, is there just the two of you?"

"Yes. If you would, may we have seats by the conveyor?" Toshiro replied with a small bow.

"Of course sir, right this way." The hostess said as she led them past a series of tables towards the back of the restaurant. Winding its way through the restaurant was a stainless steel conveyor belt carrying small dishes of fresh sushi, sashimi and desserts such as sweet red bean paste filled pastries. With a small bow she indicated a small table that gave them easy access to the assortment of foods wending their way along its course. "Please be seated. May I have tea brought to you?"

"Yes please, and I would also like a little saki." Toshiro said.

"Of course sir, you may help yourselves." She said as she bowed again and retreated back through the restaurant.

"Oh Boy! Eels, shrimp, tuna, roe, maki, and octopus! Can I, can I, can I?" Red exclaimed.

"Go ahead, but leave some for the other customers. The chefs here are good, but I doubt they can keep up with your appetite." Toshiro said as he removed some dishes for himself.

With a great blur, Red quickly chose several dishes and set them in front of herself.

With a frown, a waitress set down a highly decorative iron pot filled with tea and two white ivory porcelain cups along with a small bottle of saki and a small saki cup. "We encourage children to only take as much as they can eat and to not get greedy. Please control your daughter sir."

"First off, she is not my daughter and second she can easily eat what is in front of her as well as a great deal more." Toshiro replied sternly.

With those words Red looked up at the waitress with a cocky grin, picked up her chopsticks, took a deep breath and the food disappeared off her plates with a speed that appeared to make it vanish. In the course of about thirty seconds she emptied every plate in front of her so fast that you couldn't even see her eat. With a small burp, she glared up at the waitress with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Is that good enough for ya?"

"Red, I know she probably deserved the lesson, but please slow down. I can't eat that fast." Toshiro smiled as he poured tea for both of them.

"Kay! Oh boy! Octopus puffs! Wait, how come these are here, they aren't sushi? Oh well, doesn't really matter." Red said as she started to pile the empty plates up in front of the waitress and put more food in front of herself.

With a quick "Excuse me." The waitress picked up the empty plates and started to take them to the kitchen.

Taking his time and enjoying his food, Toshiro stared in amazement as the petite girl in front of him demolished plate after plate of food. As he was quietly finishing the last of his saki, an angry looking stout built man in an ill-fitting navy blue suit and a red tie that was partially loose around his neck came up to the table, put his hands on his hips and glared at them.

"How much food can she eat?" he asked angrily.

"I don't know, she is a hospital patient that I brought with me for lunch. She said she wanted all you can eat sushi, so I brought her here." Toshiro replied and then took a sip of tea.

"But she has eaten enough food for ten people! What is she, a human seal? She's going to bankrupt my business! Where does she put it all anyway?" The owner said with shocked astonishment as he watched her finish off several pieces of sushi and start in on dessert.

"I don't know, astonishing isn't it? However, she seems to be winding down so if we could have the bill." Toshiro said.

"I should charge you extra considering the amount of food she has consumed." The owner said with a frown.

"If you must, but I will complain to the city council if you do so. You advertise all you can eat for one price. If you charge me more, I will take it up with the council as false advertising. You either need to specify a limit or be prepared for customers who can consume far more than you feel they should. What if a famous sumo came in here, would you complain at how much he would consume?"

"Very well, but please don't bring the walking stomach back here again." The owner replied.

"I will bring her back if she wants to come, but I don't think I will return after this treatment." Toshiro said as he got stiffly to his feet and placed the correct of amount of yen on the table. Come Red, let's leave this place."

"Kay." Red burped out as she stood up. "Too bad this place is owned by a jerk, it was a really good lunch."

"Now, now Red; we can leave with dignity. We don't have to stoop to their level."

Bowing her head slightly she shrugged her shoulders, and let out a regretful sigh. "Kay. I'm sorry I got us into a bad situation. I was just really hungry and it does say all you can eat."

"I understand. Now let's leave." Toshiro said as he moved towards the exit.

Red turned and looked at the owner with tears in her eyes. "I really like your restaurant, I'm sorry I upset you. Please have a nice day." She sadly said as she turned and followed Toshiro from the restaurant.

Out on the sidewalk she trudged along behind Toshiro as they walked back towards the hospital. After about a block they were passing a toy store with a large window display when a large stuffed Panda caught her attention. Something about the Panda made her home sick in a way she had never felt before in her limited memory. As she pressed her hands to the glass she cocked her head to one side and then the other. A weird melancholy of anger, longing, grief, disdain and respect washed over her in a tidal wave of emotion that left her gasping and crying at the same time.

"Hey Red, what's the matter? Are you upset about the restaurant?"

With a wail she replied "No, that panda makes me homesick, but I can't figure out why. I can't remember!"

"Ok, come with me." Toshiro said as he took her hand in his and led her into the store.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" a friendly female sales clerk said.

"How much for the Panda" Toshiro questioned the clerk as he pointed at the window display.

"Two thousand yen." The clerk replied.

"I'll take it." Toshiro said as he led the young girl over to the register.

"Do you want that wrapped?" The clerk asked as she retrieved the stuffed animal and headed towards the counter.

"No, we will take it as it is." Toshiro said with a smile as he handed over enough money to pay for the animal. Reaching up he picked up the toy and handed it down to the girl.

"Thank you." Said a very subdued girl as she hugged it to her chest; "Something about this panda just calls out to me when none of the rest of this stuff does." She continued as she pointed around the store.

"You mean you don't want to play with any of the other toys you see here?" Toshiro asked.

"No, they seem kind of childish to me; almost as if I outgrew them a long time ago." Red replied seriously.

"But you want the Panda?"

"Yes, it seems very important ta me, almost as if family is somehow connected to it." Red said slowly. "Let's get back to the hospital; I believe you still need to get X-rays of me."

"Yeah, I had to get special permission just to take you out for lunch. We had better get running . . . um, on second thought, let's just walk." Toshiro as he headed for the door.

"Thank you for coming in." The clerk said as she held the door for them.

"Thank you." The gi clad girl replied as she tearfully hugged the large panda to her chest.

After returning to the hospital through the front doors, Toshiro had her sit in a wheel chair and wheeled her to X-ray where he took several complete X-rays of her as both a boy and a girl. After this was finished he took a subdued girl and her panda back to her room.

"Are you going to be all right Red?" Toshiro worriedly asked as he tucked her in.

"Yah, I'll be all right. I jus' have some thinking ta do." Red replied with a subdued smile.

"All right then, I have some other duties I have to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow." Toshiro replied. "Take good care of that panda."

"Kay."

Taking time for a careful second look at the young girl, Toshiro turned and wheeled the chair from the room with a friendly wave of his hand and pulled the door closed behind him.

After Toshiro left, Red laid back in her in bed and watched some television until she fell asleep. When supper time came, she woke up long enough to eat a couple of trays of food, snuggle her new stuffed companion and then fall back into a restless slumber filled with uneasy dreams of shadowy figures that all seemed to want something from her that she couldn't give them.


	5. Chapter 5

******Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 5**

"Good Morning." Doctor Shin said as he entered the room.

Sitting up and stretching her arms over her head she yawned out a nearly intelligible "Mornin'."

"I have had a chance to study your test results and I have some bad news for you." Doctor Shin said with a slight frown.

"What! Am I going to die?" The girl quickly asked as her eyes opened wide.

"No, no, nothing that drastic. I guess I have to work on my bedside manner." Doctor Shin said as he walked over to the table, set a portable computer on it and turned it on. After a couple of moments he opened up a couple of images, pulled out a pointer and moved the table near her bed. "As you can see, this is a scan of the side and the back of your head."

As he pointed at two different locations in the pictures he continued "If you look here, you can see the results of an old injury. We have some bone fragments and shards pressing on your brain in an area that can affect overall emotional and mental development. Also, we have a couple pressing down into an area of the brain that we are not sure of its exact function but we know that damage in this area can limit ones natural born abilities. We need to operate to remove the shards. While not life threatening at this time, they may shift in the future and cause a brain aneurism that could lead to a stroke; especially since there is a physical change in your bone structure when you transform from a girl to a boy. Do you understand what I am telling you?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"Yes, you are telling me that if you don't operate now, I could die or become severely disabled in the near future." Red replied with a serious expression. "When do you want to operate?"

"Later today." Doctor Shin replied as he brought up a couple of different pictures. "We also want to remove what appears to be an extremely large cat's claw that is lodged under the skin and muscle tissue next to your ribs and there also appears to be a broken off point of a knife lodged in your hip that we also want to remove."

"Did you say C.. c.. c..cat?" Red said as she backed up on the bed into a fetal position.

"Yes, why?"

The girl quietly replied with a hint of trepidation "Something about the thought of those hairy little devils really scares and creeps me out, but I can't say why."

"Ok, I won't mention them again, but your fear may have to do with how a claw became lodged so deeply inside you." Doctor Shin replied. "Nurse Megumi will be here soon to prepare you for surgery. We will begin in an hour. Unfortunately, you will have to wait till after surgery before you can once again eat."

"Again?!" Red exclaimed. "Well that sucks."

"Don't worry little one, I will take you out for a nice meal when it is time to discharge you to make up for it." Doctor Shin smiled.

"I will hold you to that." Red said as she crossed her arms.

With a loud laugh Doctor Shin grinned. "I'm sure you will. See you in surgery."

With a wave and a smile Doctor Shin exited the room.

After the doctor had left, Red turned on the television and scanned for any program she could stand. After channel surfing for a while she settled for a rebroadcast of the movie "Enter the dragon" with Bruce Lee. With a yawn she looked up from the villain spinning on a rotating mirrored panel where he was dead and pinned to it with a spear like an insect on a board as an older nurse wearing a pink uniform whom she had never met before came in with a gurney.

"Isn't that show a little too violent for you young lady?" She asked sternly with a scowl on her face.

"Nope." She replied as she crossed her arms.

"Well, I think it is." The nurse said with a frown. "Little girls shouldn't be watching violent shows like that. I will be talking to your doctor about this" She continued with a disdainful wave of her hand as she turned off the TV.

"Fine, you do that! While you're at it, be sure and remind him that I am a master of Kenpo. I don't see any problem with me watching a martial arts film when I am a martial artist." She said and then punctuated her opinion by sticking out her tongue and pulling down one eyelid at the nurse.

"Well, I never! What a disrespectful child you are." The nurse said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Only to mean old ladies who ask for it first." She replied with a smirk.

"Why you little brat; I should wash your mouth out with soap. Little liars like you need to be punished." The nurse said as she lunged forward and tried to grab the young girl who jumped backwards out of her reach and put the bed between herself and the nurse.

"Naaaaah! You and what army you un-cute jerk!" She yelled as she stuck her tongue out at the nurse while keeping the bed between her and he nurse.

"What in the seven hells is going on in here?!" Toshiro said as he entered the room.

"This disrespectful brat has refused to get ready to go to surgery. So I am just trying to catch her and make her go." The nurse said with a smirk at the little girl.

"Is that true Red?" Toshiro asked.

"No way! She came in here and started telling me I couldn't watch Bruce Lee movies cause I am a little girl. She never asked me ta get ready ta go; she just started telling me what I couldn't watch. Then she called me a liar, the old bat." Red said with her hands on her hips.

"Well of course she's a liar, no girl that young could ever be a martial arts master." The woman replied.

"Actually, she is. I saw her take her test two days ago Nurse Megumi. And if someone approached me with the attitude you are displaying towards Red, I would be upset as well. I will be speaking to your superiors and I will take Red down to surgery myself. Don't you dare come near her surgery, I will find someone to replace you. With the attitude you are showing, you might do something you shouldn't. Go home and cool off. You are dismissed." Toshiro said with an authoritative air.

"Well, I never." Nurse Megumi said as she flounced out.

"Red, you could have handled that better instead of antagonizing her." Toshiro said with a look of disappointment.

"You're right. I don't know what happened but she really made me mad and the next thing I know I'm calling her names as if it is the only way I know how to deal with someone like her." Red said with a sigh.

"Well, try to think first next time. I will make sure that she never takes care of you. I have never seen such hostility from a nurse towards a patient. I am going to ask that she receives an evaluation. Meanwhile, get the gown on and get on the gurney. I will take you to surgery." Toshiro said.

"You're not mad at me are ya?"

"No, I am just surprised at what was going on in here." Toshiro said with a slight smile. "Now get ready."

"Kay." Red said, then stepped into the restroom and changed her clothes. When she came out she hopped up on the gurney. "Toshiro, could you get someone to wash my gi while I am in surgery? It is the only set of clothes I have."

"Sure, I will make sure they get clean." Toshiro said as he wheeled her out the door and down toward surgery.

"Thanks." Red said as she lay her head back onto a small pillow and watched the ceiling move along. After a brief elevator ride, she felt the gurney bump through a couple of sets of double doors and then she was wheeled into a room to be placed under a large stainless steel light array that brightly shone done towards her.

"Ahh, Toshiro. Where is Nurse Megumi? I asked her to bring the young girl to surgery so I could use her here." Doctor Shin inquired.

"Well doctor, I was walking up to wish Red good luck when I heard her and Nurse Megumi having quite the argument. It seems they got off on the wrong foot. Nurse Megumi was so upset I had her go home for the day. I would recommend that her attitude towards small children be examined. I think she might have tried to get physical with our patient if things had gone on. I will get Nurse Michiko to fill in instead if that works for you." Toshio reported.

"Yes, that will do. Meanwhile I can have the anesthesiologist put our patient under. See to it."

"Yes doctor. Good luck Red." Toshiro said as he turned to go.

"Thanks Toshiro. See you on the other side." Red replied.

"Rikuto, would you please see to our patient?" Doctor Shin asked.

"Yes Doctor. Young lady, I am going to place a mask over you face. I need you to breathe in and out slowly. The gas will make you sleepy. Please don't fight it and just allow yourself to relax and go under. Do you understand what I have said?" Rikuto said.

"Yep. Let's get this over with." The young girl replied.

With those words, Rikuto placed a plastic mask that was connected to a couple of hoses over the young girls face then turned on a couple of valves.

The young girl known as 'Red' breathed in and out until the darkness of an induced sleep overcame her.

* * *

A sharp throbbing pain at the base of her skull brought her slowly awake. Opening her eyes allowed the light to stab deep into her brain and drastically increased the pain in her head. Carefully turning her head she once again found herself hooked up to an IV and several monitors. Her stomach felt queasy from the anesthesia and for the first time that she could remember, she didn't wake up hungry.

With a groan, she reached down and pressed the button for the nurse. As she waited she noticed her Panda was sitting next to her. Reaching out she pulled the toy towards her and hugged it tightly.

"Oh my." A voice said in a hauntingly familiar phrase. "You weren't supposed to wake up for another couple of hours. You do recover quickly." Nurse Yuki said.

"Do you think I could get something for my head? It hurts real bad." Red shakily said.

"Of course Dearie. Are you thirsty?"

"Yes."

"I will get you some apple juice and a pain killer." Nurse Yuki said with a smile as she turned and left the room.

After a couple of minutes the nurse returned with a hypodermic needle a cup of ice and a can of apple juice on a tray. Setting the tray down on the table she picked up the needle, inserted it into the IV tube and injected a dose of pain medication into the tube. After taking care of the injection, she broke off the needle and put it into the sharps container mounted on the wall. Turning back to the table she picked the tray up with one hand and used the other to set the cup of ice on the table then poured the juice into the ice. Reaching into a pocket on her uniform she pulled out a bendy straw and set it into the juice.

"Ok sweetie, your head will start to feel better in just a little bit. You may sip the juice as much as you want. Supper is going to be soup followed by jello for desert." She said as she pushed the table where her patient could easily reach her juice.

"Oh, before I forget, you have a visitor." The nurse said as she left the room.

After a moment Sensei Tadashi came in the door with a smile on his face and a very large black duffle bag in one hand. Setting the duffle bag at the foot of her bed he looked up and gave a small bow. "Hello little dragon, I understand the doctors have had you back on the table to correct some old injuries. Well, such is the life of a martial artist."

"Hi sensei, what brings you here?"

"I thought I would check in on you. I was also hoping you would agree to teach me a couple of those katas you did that I have never seen before when you get better." Tadashi said as he approached the bed. "Plus, like a Greek, I come bearing gifts."

"A Greek?" Red asked with a puzzled expression.

"Old story, it involves a beautiful woman and a large wooden horse full of Greek soldiers. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Hikaro, please bring those other bags in." Tadashi said towards the door.

With those words Hikaro came in carrying two big, long canvas bags, one in each hand, walked across the room and placed them by the wall under the window. After which he turned and gave both Tadashi and the young girl a deep respectful bow with his left hand over his right fist. "It is good to see you again. I am sorry, but I have to run to another appointment."

"Thank you Hikaro."

"What's in the bags?" Red curiously asked.

"In the one at the foot of your bed are several sets of clothes for you. Doctor Shin told me how you arrived with us in our fair city, and I thought you could use some clothing of your own. Fortunately I happen to be the second son of a very rich father who owns a multi corporation. My older brother runs the company now, and I have the luxury to pursue my own dreams and desires. I am a contributor to the hospital and I paid for the fine gym they have. As such, it is also used as a community facility as well as a place to meet the needs of the hospital when it comes to physical therapy. I am very grateful that it brought me into contact with you. I have never seen anyone so talented in the art and I have traveled far and wide in my quest to improve myself. I hope you will accept my humble gift as it costs me little to give it." Tadashi said with a deep bow of his own.

"Kay. What's in the other bags?" She said as she pointed towards the window.

"Ahhh, every master should have the tools of their trade. In those bags you will find a couple of spare gi's and an assortment of the finest traditional weapons available today. As well as a set of sparring pads, plus several belt certificates and the belts to go along with them, this will allow you to start teaching when you are ready to do so." Tadashi said with a flourish.

"That's an awful lot of stuff. I feel a little uncomfortable accepting it." Red said with a slight frown.

"Oh please, it is a pittance for me. Almost of no consequence compared to the treasure of the katas you have shown me. I know hundreds of katas from all systems, but the ones you displayed were amazing beyond anything I have ever seen, learned or taught. Please allow me to give you this small token." Tadashi pleaded.

"If you insist, I will accept your gift. But when I get better I intend to train you in return. Thank you very much" Red said seriously.

"That sounds like a very fair trade." Tadashi said with a smile.

"I really appreciate the clothes. How did you know what size ta get for me?"

"I have a niece about your size. I only got you a couple of dresses; I figured you would prefer pants and shorts instead of skirts."

"Sounds good, thank you again."

"Well, I am going to go. I was warned to not tire you out. I will check in again later." Tadashi said as he waved and headed out the door.

"Bye." Red waved.

After a few minutes she turned on the TV and then surfed through the channels until she came upon a broadcast of "The Seven Samurai." About halfway through the show, she heard the door to her room open and watched Doctor Shin enter the room.

"Hi." She said.

"Hello. I see you are awake. I should have known with your amazing recovery abilities that you would wake up early. We had a hard time keeping you under for the operation, which was a roaring success." Doctor Shin reported.

"Nice to know my headache happened for a good reason." She groaned.

"Sorry about the headache, it should go away in a couple of days. The bone fragments we removed were calcified in place, but they were creating pressure on your brain. It is almost as if they have been in your head for over ten to twelve years, but that would be impossible considering your age appears to be around five or six." Doctor Shin said as he scratched his head. "Yet another einigma."

"That sounds kind of like a mystery."

"Not as mysterious as the tiger claw we removed from your ribs. I had it turned into a necklace for you. Do you have any idea how you would have encountered a tiger?" Doctor Shin said as he held out a necklace made from sturdy silver links with an oversized black tiger claw hanging from it.

"No, I don't. I don't like cats. Just the thought of them scares me, but the necklace is kind of cool. Thanks." Red said as she cocked her head to one side.

"Well, you seem in good spirits. Nurse Yuki will be in to check your vital signs, and then she will get you some dinner. I am afraid you are on a liquid diet for the next couple of days. Please try not to eat your pillow, it won't do your digestive track any favors. Also, I should warn you that Akira has been searching for any reports of a missing girl around your age and she has run out of luck. If things stay the same, she plans to take you to an orphanage after you get out of the hospital in a couple of weeks. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news." Doctor Shin said.

"Thanks for the warning, Doc." Red said with a frown.

"I will see you tomorrow." Doctor Shin said.

"Bye." Red waved as she tried the necklace on.

After a few minutes Nurse Yuki rolled a small cart into the room. After checking her vitals the nurse poured her a cup of tea, served her a bowl of soup, along with some carrot juice and a dish of jello. After eating the young girl felt sleep creep up and beckon her down into a dreamless state just as the seven samurai took their last stand against the bandits.


	6. Chapter 6

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 6**

The next couple of weeks passed quickly. When she was more stable she spent a lot of time in the gym doing katas, lifting weights and practicing gymnastics of all types. Those that used stationary equipment such as the parallel bars and those that used hand equipment such as the ribbon. She practiced both as a he and a she at the suggestion of Doctor Shin and Sensei Tadashi. Though she thought of herself as a girl who changes into a boy with hot water, she found that she was more comfortable in the form of a boy than a girl even though she spent more time as a girl. These mixed feelings left her feeling emotionally awkward and unsure of her true gender.

With practice she found that she somehow knew another seven unknown katas and had the feeling that there was a great deal she felt she should know about martial arts but something was blocking her access to it almost as if a wall had been put up in her mind against her will. Sensei Tadashi set up a video camera and recorded her performance of the eight unknown katas since the only one he had the ability to perform was the simplest of them. The other seven contained too much aerial combat combined with gymnastic moves so that despite her training he would need years to perfect the skills necessary to even begin to perform them.

When Tadashi's class met she worked out with them and started to quickly refine a teaching style. She was rough around the edges but her ability to break motion down to its perfect minimalistic movements allowed her to easily convey techniques and responses. During this time she sparred any of the students that were willing to step onto the mat with her; one on one or in groups. She showed a mastery of all ranges of combat including ground and pound but her true love was the flight of aerial combat. When she was in the air she did everything in her power to stay there as if she were a razor sharp feather in the wind before gravity pulled her back down to the earth.

As she practiced her speed increased and her strength multiplied. She felt that her body was somehow much smaller and weaker than it should be, but that feeling slowly disappeared as she became used to her size and the length of her limbs. Her movements became even more precise and graceful. Power flowed through her body and exploded with her strikes and kicks. At times she lost herself in the movements and at those times observers noted a bright white glow tinged with an edge of blue that surrounded her body as she moved through the forms like the lithest of dancers.

"Come in." she said one morning to a knock on her door while she was dabbing up the last of the runny yolk from her western breakfast with some buttered toast. Looking up from her breakfast she was surprised to see Akira Yamatsu, the social worker, walk in the door in a conservative woman's business suit, followed by Doctor Shin. "Heya Doc, whats up?"

"Hi Red, I have some good news and some bad news for you."

"What's the good news?"

"I will be able to take you to that restaurant in Tokyo I promised you awhile back" Doctor Shin said with a half-hearted smile.

"That sounds great, but what's the bad news?" Red asked with some trepidation.

"I will let Ms. Yamatsu give you that." Doctor Shin said seriously.

Turning the full attention of her big, blue eyes towards Akira Yamatsu she said, "Kay, let's hear it."

With a sigh Akira Yamatsu started, "I have looked and called all over Japan trying to find your family. Nowhere are there any reports of a young red-headed girl around your age being sought as missing. Nor have there been any reports of a tragic accident involving a family with a girl around your age. You are a mystery with no clues. Since I cannot find any of your family, it is my sad duty to take you to an orphanage in Tokyo. Hopefully someone will wish to adopt you. Doctor Shin says he will be willing to drive us in his car. We will leave tomorrow morning."

"Oh." Red quietly replied as her appetite disapeared and then pushed her unfinished tray aside, picked up her exercise bag and with a quiet "Excuse me." headed for the gym.

Once in the gym she walked to the mat, stretched out, stood up and then exploded through every kata she knew and even made up a couple while Akira Yamatsu, who had followed her to the gym along with Doctor Shin, looked on with disbelieving eyes.

"You told me she was a martial artist. You didn't tell me she moved like something out of ancient myths and legends." Akira said accusingly to Doctor Shin.

"I told you she tested for and was granted a mastership in Kenpo and other martial arts. How many children her age could accomplish that? What did you expect after that information?" Doctor Shin asked with a slight scowl.

"I thought that she must be pretty good and that Tadashi took pity on her because of her situation. I never expected this!" She said as she gestured with her right hand. "It makes her story even more of a mystery. Why her family wouldn't be looking for her is beyond me. Her skills are extraordinary. The amount of time, effort and training that must have been poured into her is beyond belief. Whether or not she is a prodigy, the effort alone to create what I'm witnessing would not be lost or thrown away." Akira thoughtfully mused out loud.

"I agree." Doctor Shin replied. "By the way, there is one more thing you need to know about her."

"What else could there possibly be?" Akira said.

"She turns into a he when you splash her with hot water and he turns back into a she when splashed with cold water. This may cause some problems for the orphanage." Doctor Shin said with a straight face.

Turning to look coldly at Doctor Shin she spoke with leveled measured precision as she folded her arms over her chest. "You know I hate jokes; especially ones that try to make me look stupid. What you just described is impossible. I don't know why you would ever think I could possibly be that gullible. I thought you had more respect for me than that."

"Hey Red! Akira needs to see your other half. She thinks I'm pulling her leg."

"Do I have ta Doc? Ya know I don't really like revealing that. It makes me wonder if people think I'm a freak."

"I'm sorry you feel like that because we don't think of you that way, but she needs to know so that she can make the right arrangements for where you are going to be staying. It really is in your best interest, especially with the way water seems to find you. We have never had any pipes burst at this hospital till you came to stay."

"Okay, I'll get the water." She replied reluctantly.

"So, you have brought her in on the joke." Akira said coldly.

"No, I have only told you the truth. Here she comes with the water, just watch."

"Kay Doc, I'm ready."

"Go ahead."

With those words the young girl emptied a glass of hot water over her head and as her hair turned from red to black she transformed into her boy half.

"T. .th. .tha . . that 's impossible." Akira gasped.

"No it isn't, we have the medical records that prove it is a complete transformation. Go ahead and change back now Red." Doctor Shin said with a nod towards the young girl.

"Brrrrr, that's cold." Red said as she emptied the contents of the second glass over her head.

"As you can see she is going to need some special accommodations. I would recommend that she gets her own room. I would also recommend that she should be given a series of standard education tests to determine her real world education. She keeps coming up with concepts a girl her age generally doesn't understand." Doctor Shin said as he watched his patient move to the parallel bars and began a routine that would make an Olympic gymnast jealous.

"How did she learn to do that?" Akira asked with wonder as she watched the young girl dismount from the bars with a full twist into five backwards flips with a perfect landing. "I have never seen anyone move like she does."

"I don't know and neither does she. She is a superbly trained athlete, but the memories only exist in her physical body. Her mind has no idea where the skills came from. She just finds she can do various things when she tries them though most of them seem to be physical in nature. Yesterday she got involved in a basketball game with the cleaning staff. They have a hoop set up out back. Her team won the game with a score of one hundred and seventy to seven. She scored at least ninety percent of the baskets. The adults she was playing against didn't stand a chance. They have won competitive games or tournaments all across Japan and she destroyed them." Doctor Shin said as if he was a proud parent.

"So she doesn't have any idea of who she is or where she came from?"

"Nope, not as far as we can tell, she only has her past learned skills and knowledge. It's like someone erased the rest of her life from her head. Family, friends, where she lived, her name; it is all gone or blocked. She may never recover any of her former memories, only time will tell." Doctor Shin said.

"I guess time will have to tell then." Akira agreed.

"Yes, yes it will." Doctor Shin replied with a nod of his head. "Also, as you know, Tadashi likes to make informal investments in talented people. He's a bit of a philanthropist that way. He has given her several weapons plus other equipment as part of her mastership and has included a new wardrobe as well."

"Yes, I am aware of that characteristic of his. He has helped several people in this community succeed with a well time investment in their business or their lives. If he were a little more interfering it would be a character flaw but his intentions only seem to be for the best of the recipient and not the giver." Akira said.

"Oh, he benefits for himself. Take Red there, he has acquired an entirely new set of unlearned martial knowledge from her in return for his gifts. Or take this new wing he had built as a gym. It has both an inside and outside entrance for his convienance and use as well as the hospitals. No, Tadashi makes wise investments in people and places and he always sees a good return. No matter how beneficial it is for those he helps he almost always gains something as well. Despite playing the care free playboy martial artist, he learned the art of reaping the benefit of an investment from his father. He just pursues other markets than those of corporations and stocks." Doctor Shin said with a wry smile.

"I never thought of it that way, but now that I think about it, some of his favorite places to eat and shop he helped to get started."

"Yes, I know. As for tomorrow, have the special arrangements I asked for been approved?" Doctor Shin queried as he turned and looked at Akira.

"Yes they have though I still think it may be a bad idea." Akira said with a disapproving scowl.

"Well, a promise is a promise after all. Are we still taking my car to Tokyo?"

"I think that would be the easiest way to do this."

"Very well, I will make sure it is fueled and ready to go. Don't forget to pack a bag." Doctor Shin said.

"I won't. Well, I have some final arrangements to make. See you in the morning." Akira said as she turned to leave.

"Very well, I will see you in the morning." Doctor Shin said to her retreating back. Turning back towards the exercise mat he yelled out; "Red! I have rounds, and then I am headed home. I will see you tomorrow morning."

"Kay Doc." Red yelled back.

"Don't forget to pack tonight." Doctor Shin ordered as he left the physical therapy gym with a small wave.

"I won't." Red said.

After finishing up a couple of more hours of exercise and a quick lunch at the cafeteria, she headed back to her room where she took a cold shower and changed into a pair of black shorts and a large red t-shirt with a black Chinese dragon twisting around it from the front to the back. After getting dressed she looked around her room and was dismayed to realize it had become the only home she could remember, almost as if she really hadn't ever had a place to truly call home. She was further surprised to find a strong reluctance to leave.

"Everyone is happy to leave the hospital, right?" she quietly asked herself as she hugged her stuffed panda to her chest and discovered that she didn't have an answer.

The rest of the day was uneventful. She watched a Jackie Chan movie that did nothing to cheer her up and after a subdued supper she put herself to bed with a sigh as she wondered about the origins of her past and fell into a disquieted slumber. As she tossed and turned her dreams were filled with disturbing faceless images of various people attacking her and calling her hateful names from pervert to jerk. The figures were dark as if backlit so that no details could be made out or seen, and they appeared to be slightly out of focus as if all the details had been washed out by a distorted camera lens.

Some of the people seemed to be pursuing her while screaming about being her fiancé. Others appeared out of nowhere screaming "Because of you I have seen HELL!" Sounds came fast and hard as a large, stout, rotund figure wailed about having a worthless son and others cried out for her to date or marry them. Men and woman surrounded her, pulled at her, laughed and screamed with anger, delight and madness. As the figures strident voices surrounded and drowned her in a murky emotional swamp, she heard one extremely loud, angry female voice rising far above the discordant noise while yelling over and over "RANMA! YOU IDIOT!"

After startling awake in a cold chilled sweat, she quietly lay in bed, hugged her panda and thought about the strange, chaotic dreams. As she pondered the voices, she tried to decide if she knew or recognized any of the strangely violent people and events in her dreams. After deep thought she decided that while they seemed vaguely familiar she couldn't find any ideas or recollections of whom they were or how they fit into her life. After a while she dismissed the hauntingly familiar images with a shrug and banished them from her mind as she rolled over and managed to find a quieter night's sleep without any further nightmares. But as she slept, the eerily familiar, yet unknown name, "Ranma", continued to echo throughout the rest of her slumber and continued to haunt her thoughts and her dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 7**

The next morning she woke up early with the name Ranma still resonating in her head. Why the name Ranma felt so familiar and right left her feeling a little confused. She couldn't understand why someone would be named the "Chaotic or Wild Horse." What was even more disconcerting was she felt like the name belonged to her, but Ranma should be a name for a boy, and not a girl. Ranko might be the female form of Ranma but that would be "Wild Girl" instead of "Wild Horse" and felt as familiar to her as the name Ranma.

With a negligent flip of her hand she tossed the sheets aside and jumped out of bed to her feet. After a quick use of the facilities she went to the small closet in her room where she removed the hospital gown that had been serving her for pajamas, folded it and set it on one of the shelves. Removing her gi from another shelf she quickly donned it and then paused as if frozen in thought while looking at herself in the mirror attached to the closet door.

"Maybe my name is Ranma. Or it could be Ranko. Both seem correct for some reason, but I'm not sure." The young girl thought out loud as she spoke to her image in the mirror. "Ranma. Ranma. Hi, my name is Ranma. Ranko. Ranko. Hi, my name is Ranko. . . . Nah. Think I'll jus' stick with Red for now, at least I know how I got that name and where it comes from."

With a dismissive shake of her head, she headed for the gym and got in a good workout for a couple of hours. Who knew when she would have access to such a fine training facility in the future? As she ended her last Kata she heard clapping coming from the gym entrance where unbeknownst to her Sensei Tadashi had been watching.

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I heard from Doctor Shin that you would be leaving for Tokyo this morning. I wanted the chance to say goodbye. I will visit from time to time when I get to Tokyo." He said with a smile as he walked across the room.

"Thanks teach. I will miss seeing you. Keep your students on their toes; who knows when they will have ta face me in a tournament." The girl said with a confident grin.

"I feel sorry for them on that day." Tadashi said with a mock serious shake of his head. "I will have to purchase a couple of body bags in preparation for that encounter." He continued with a wink.

"Nah, just some plaster for their body casts." She added with a mischievous grin.

Ceremoniously kneeling down in front of her, his face took on a formal look as he bowed low to the mat and then sat back up into a proper kneeling position, wrapped his left hand over his right fist and gave a much shorter nod with his head. "Young Dragon, may your journey be long and fruitful. May you find your destiny, conquer it, and then live to a healthy old age."

The young girl placed her feet together, brought her arms up, wrapped her left hand over her right fist and bowed at the waist. "Sensei, I am grateful that I have met you. May you have a long and happy life as you continue to gain many skills, friends and future family."

As she straightened up she smiled, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a powerful hug that almost choked him followed by a butterfly peck on the cheek. After disengaging himself from her firm grasp, Tadashi stood up, wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, reached inside his suit jacket and then pulled out a large, thin tri-folded black leather case and handed it to her.

"You have inadvertantly touched my life deeply. Since I have been told that your family has never been found, I wish for you to think of me as your god father. According to my lawyer, since I am a single male I cannot formally adopt you and the law prevents me from having you live in my home because we are not related by blood. If I could I would do so. Instead I have done what I can to make sure your young life can be comfortable. Inside this case you will find the details for a trust I have set up for you. Please accept my small gift." He said with a small bow as he held out the leather case to her with both hands extended out in her direction.

As she took the case, tears of joy and sadness ran down her face. "I will happily think of ya as my godfather, but more than that I think of ya as my friend. I feel bad about taking money from ya, but I will take it in the spirit it was given. Thank you." She said with another bow.

Stepping forward the instructor gave the young prodigy a quick embrace, stepped back and gestured towards the exit. "You better go get a shower and some breakfast. You will be leaving soon. Goodbye Little Dragon, I will miss you."

"Kay. I will miss ya also. Goodbye." She said as she wiped the unexpected tears from her face, turned and slowly walked back to her room where she found a tray of breakfast set out and waiting for her. After eating, she took a quick shower, changed into a black Chinese Shanghai tang accented by red cuffs plus embroidered large gold dragons and then packed the last of her belongings along with her dirty clothes including the black leather case.

As she was finishing the last of her breakfast tea, there came a quick knock at the door and Doctor Shin stuck his head in the door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, just a moment." She replied as she quickly finished her tea.

After setting her cup down, she stood up, walked over, picked up all of her bags and then motioned for Doctor Shin to lead the way.

She followed him to the elevators where she waited with him for the next lift. With a ding, the elevator arrived and they entered it while the bags draped off her shoulder gave the illusion of a walking pile of luggage. After the doors shut behind them, Doctor Shin inserted a key into the panel on the elevator, opened a locked panel door and pressed a button with a P2 imprinted on it. Closing the panel he relocked it as the elevator descended.

"Private parking for the staff's safety, many members of the nursing staff gets off at odd hours when it is very dark. It is better if they have a parking garage the public cannot access. Not everyone has the ability to defend themselves that you have." Doctor Shin said in response to the inquiring look he received from the young girl.

"Oh." She replied.

As the doors opened she was greeted by the sight of Nurse Yuki and Toshiro standing there waiting for her with smiles on their faces.

"Ah Red, things are going to be terribly quiet and boring without you." Toshiro said as he stepped forward and took a couple of her bags from her.

"Yes sweetie. We are going to miss you. You really brightened things up around here. Though I still think the wheel chair down the stairs race from the top floor was a bit much." The nurse said with glistening eyes.

"Sorry bout that, it seemed like a good idea at the time." Red replied with a cocky grin as she looked up at Yuki.

"Well, let's get your things in the car." Toshiro said as he turned and started towards a black Mercedes Bens.

As they walked towards the car, Doctor Shin reached into his pocket pulled out a key and pressed the unlock button on the key fob so the car unlocked with an audible click. Pushing a second button, the trunk popped open as they stepped over to the back of the car where Toshiro placed the bags he was carrying into the trunk. Taking the red head's last couple of bags from her, he also added them to the storage space in the car.

When she was unburdened with her luggage, Nurse Yuki swept her up in a hug. "You be good. Don't forget us, okay Dearie?"

"Kay. I am going to miss you. Thank you for taking such good care of me." Red replied as she stepped back from the warm hug.

"I'm going to miss you Red." Toshiro said as he bent down and gave her his own hug.

"Me too, thanks for everything you have done for me. I'm going ta miss ya. Thanks again for the sushi and my panda." She replied as she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.

"You're welcome Red, you take care of yourself." Toshiro replied as he opened the front passenger side door for the young girl. "Until we meet again."

"Bye, bye everyone." She waved as Toshiro closed the door.

Doctor Shin entered the other door, inserted the key into the ignition and started the car. "Please put on your seat belt." Doctor Shin said as he followed his own request.

"Kay. Where's the disapproving noisy social worker?" Red asked as she buckled her own safety restraint.

"We're on our way to get her." Doctor Shin replied with a snort of laughter as he drove towards a closed garage door.

Pressing a button on the dash of his car, he waited for the door to go up and then drove out onto the street with a right turn as the door closed behind them. Turning in her seat the young girl watched the hospital till it was out of sight and then turned to face forward as she wiped unshed tears out of the corners of her eyes to the dim echo of a voice in the back of her head yelling "Foolish boy! Men don't cry like little girls."

After a few miles he pulled up in front of an apartment building and honked the horn. As they waited he got out and opened the trunk. After a few minutes Akira Yamatsu walked towards the car and handed off her bag to Doctor Shin and he placed it in the trunk. Stepping around to the passenger side of the car he opened the rear door for the social worker, waited for her to get seated, closed the door and then proceeded to re-enter the vehicle and seated himself back behind the wheel.

As they started out of town on High street, Red was watching out the window as the shops and restaurants scrolled past when she suddenly sat up straighter while yelling out "STOP!"

With a screech Doctor Shin brought the car to a halt. "What?! What is it?!"

"I have to have one of those!" the young girl yelled as she opened the door and leaped out to run through the entrance to Hichifuku's Okanomiyaki.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!" Akira yelled through the open door.

With a chuckle, Doctor Shin reached across the front seat and closed the girl's door, then pulled over into an available parking place. "Don't worry, she will be right back. Her appetite is monstrous."

"But, what if something happens to her?"

"Personally, I feel sorry for anyone stupid enough to harass her. She can take care of herself better than most adults." Doctor Shin smiled as he settled back to wait.

After about fifteen minutes the young girl returned to the car with six to go boxes and a large grin on her face. Getting into the car she handed one box to Doctor Shin and a second box to Akira. "Here ya go, the rest are mine."

Just as she started to open one of her boxes, a man wearing a traditional okinomiyaki chef's uniform walked over and tapped at the car window. "Excuse me, miss?"

Reaching up and rolling down the window, she smiled out at him. "How can I help ya?"

"May I please have the recipe you used to make those?" he pleaded with a low bow.

"I'm sorry, but I already told ya, I don't think it's mine ta give. For some reason that I don't really understand, I think it's supposed ta be a secret." She replied as she took a bite of her okanomiyaki. "Sides, it isn't quite as good as I think it's supposed ta be." She said with a slightly disappointed frown.

"Excuse me, what do you mean she made these?" Akira asked with a puzzled expression.

"Have you tasted yours yet?" The chef asked.

With those words Doctor Shin extracted a piece from his box with the included bamboo chopsticks and took a bite. "This isn't Hichifuku's recipe. While Hichifuku's is very good, this is amazing. Light, airy, crispy and the sauce is superb."

Taking a timid bite of her own food, Akira paused as she chewed, and then took several more bites before she looked up with a startled expression of pleasure. "She cooked this?"

"Yes she did. She tried one I had just completed and loudly declared that she could do better. I challenged her to do so, and then she made some comment about never losing a challenge. With those words, she turned into a blur as she chopped ingredients, mixed the batter and made a sauce in less than a minute flat. After her ingredients were finished, she cooked those and an extra one for me. I have never tasted better in my life. There are rumors of a family of Okinomiyaki ninja chefs that make a culinary confection to die for, but up till now I never believed them. You wouldn't happen to be one of the legendary Kuonji's, would you?"

"No, not that I am aware of, I don't know or remember where the recipe comes from but I think it belongs to a friend about my age. I used to play with him. I think his nickname was muchan or uchan." Red said with a serious frown and a slight tear in her eye. "For some reason, I think that he may be lost, dead or gone and that I should really miss him but I just can't remember."

Bending back over her open okinomiyaki she made short work of it and set the other three aside for later.

"Thank you for that information. We are searching for her family. If she is a Kuonji then we will find out." Akira said.

"Thank you. I had to try. I have never tasted better and I will be striving for the rest of my life to imitate it. Sorry to bother you." The man said with a bow.

"No problem, thank you for being kind to her. She has had a rough time of it recently." Doctor Shin said as the man straightened and then turned to go back to the restaurant.

After finishing his food, Doctor Shin started the car and pulled back out onto the road. As they drove, the young girl quietly ate her food as unexplained and unexpected tears slowly slid down her face as unknown feelings of melancholy and homesickness for a time and place she couldn't remember moved through her heart and soul. When she was finished eating she set the empty containers on the floor and quietly watched as the mountain scenery moved past her window. After wiping her eyes on her sleeves she sat up, closed her eyes and started to slowly breathe in and out in a meditative attempt to center herself.

After about a half hour, she opened her eyes and started to look at her surroundings again. "How far away is Tokyo?"

"About an hour and a half." Doctor Shin replied as he glanced at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

Red sighed "Yeah, I just have these fuzzy memories of a young boy I think I used to spar with for Okanomiyaki. I'm pretty sure he was one of my only friends and I think I called him Uchan, but I can't really remember much."

"How old were you?"

"About the same age as I am now, but I think I played with him when I was a boy and it seems like several years ago that I last saw him, but it also feels like it was just a short while ago." She frowned. "I just wish I could remember. It has left me sad, upset and quite confused. I keep feeling like I am older than my body appears ta be." Lifting up her tear filled eyes with a look in Doctor Shin's direction. "Is it always going to be like this? Never really knowing who I am?"

Glancing in her direction and then back at the road, he sadly shrugged his shoulders. "I can't say when you will recover your memories, no one can. You could wake up tomorrow with everything intact, they could dribble back to you over the course of the rest of your life, or you may never know. I'm sorry, as much as we know about the human brain; much of it is still a mystery."

Red bowed her head in an effort to hide her movements as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Oh. Guess I better jus' get on with my life and see what happens then." She said softly.

"I'm sorry I can't give you better news."

"That's OK, Doc. I will jus' have ta take things one step at a time. You have ta learn footwork before you learn ta fight. This is very similar."

Reaching over, she turned on the radio and adjusted the tuner until she found a pop station and then sat back to gaze out the window as the music quietly played in the background.

About an hour or so later the number of buildings started to dramatically increase as they moved out of farming regions into the outskirts of Tokyo. As they started to drive through the Nerima district, they noticed the flash of emergency vehicle lights signaling out their warning a couple of miles down the road. After about a mile, they came to a stop at the end of a large line of traffic.

"I wonder what this is all about." Doctor Shin voiced aloud.

"Who knows?" Akira replied. "This is Nerima, anything could have happened. You know how weird some of the news stories are about this place."

"I could find out." Red said with a mischievous grin.

"No! Absolutely not." Akira said with a scowl. "I don't want to risk your being lost. There is a police officer over there, I will go and ask."

"Kay."

Sitting in place, Red watched as Akira walked over to the policeman and had a conversation with him for a few minutes before coming back to the car.

"What did he say?" Doctor Shin asked.

"He said there is a very dangerous fight going on between high powered martial artists under the next bridge. They have stopped traffic in case they knock over the bridge. I think he must be pulling my leg. How could a bunch of martial artists destroy a freeway bridge." Akira said as she folded her arms. "I wonder if he was just pulling my leg or something."

"Did you say high powered martial artists?" Red asked with big glittering eyes.

"Yes."

"Cool! I have to see this!" Red said in an excited voice.

"No. I forbid it." Akira sternly said.

"Lady, you don't own me. I'll be right back. I just want ta see the fight." Red said as she quickly exited the car and then took off at a high speed run while balancing on the guard rail by the side of the road as she ran.

"Wait! Stop!" Akira yelled as she jumped out of the car.

"I'll be right back!" Red replied loudly over her shoulder as she continued forward.

As she approached the bridge she heard the sounds of flesh meeting flesh, steel hitting concrete, and lots of yelling. Perching on the edge of the bridge she witnessed a vending machine attacking a man with coke bottle glasses, long black hair and voluminous white robes with a loud yell of "CHARGE!"

As the vending machine surged forward the fellow in the white robes leaped backwards and unleashed a barrage of spikes connected to chains from his sleeves to impact with the machine. "You will not have Shampoo! She is mine, not yours you crazy freak!"

With a perfect side kick a purple haired young woman wearing a red Chinese silk pantsuit with an orchid pattern leaped forward into the side of the boy's head and drove him across the street into a brick wall. Barely slowing down she spun and cut the vending machine in half with a large bladed Chinese sword to reveal a girl with long brown hair and a pink frilly dress as the machine fell into two equal pieces.

"Shampoo no belong to stupid Moose or pathetic cross dresser! Shampoo belong only to Shampoo now that Airen dead!" The purple haired girl yelled as a red battle aura surrounded her when she took up a combat stance on one leg with her sword held by the right side of her head and the point extended towards her opponents.

"Uhhh, what's that rumbling sound?" the boy dressed as a brown haired girl asked as she pushed up to her hands and knees.

"Run! It's coming!" screamed the voice of a girl while she trampled the apparant brown haired girl back to the ground as she ran like the devil itself was after her.

"Look out!" Yelled a second girl as she stomped the white robed combatant under her high heels and into the ground.

"NOOOOO!" Yelled a third girl, who was quickly followed by a stampede of dozens of terrified girls who ran over the top of both boys in a cloud of dust as they were closely pursued by a giant white ghost cat meowing out "Wait! Be my bbbriiiide!"

"Stupid ghost cat! Stop chasing girls!" The purple haired girl screamed as she hurled the cat into the air with a powerful uppercut that knocked the cat up onto the bridge where it landed on Red and pinned her to the ground.

"CCCAAATTT!" The young girl screamed in Terror as she struggled to move out from under the eight foot tall ghost cat with a large brass bell around its neck.

With a groan the ghost cat raised its head, looked at the young girl and asked, "Will you be my brrrride?"

"AHHHH!" The girl screamed as she tried to shove the cat off of her while her pigtail and the rest of her hair stood straight up on end.

With a shake of his head, the ghost cat wrapped both paws around her, stood up and hugged her tightly to his chest and repeated; "Will you be my Brrrriiide?"

"NOO! Besides I'm too young! Let me G-G-GO!"

"But I need a brrride! If you agree to be my brrrride, then I can wait till you're older." The ghost cat said with wide glowing eyes.

"C-C-C-CAAAT! G-G-G-GHOST C-C-C-CAAATT!" The young girl stuttered and screamed out in fear.

"I may be a ghost cat, but I will be a wonderrrful husband." The cat said as it began to rub its cheeks against hers with a loud rumbling purr.

As the feel, smell and rumble of the cat washed across her, the young girl felt despair and terror course through her body unlike any sensation she could remember having. As she struggled to free herself, the cat gripped her tighter until her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth with a loud screeching "Meeorrow!"

"What the . . ?!" The ghost cat loudly queried with wide eyes as it held her out at arm's length.

"Hisss! Phssst! Meeeoorooww!"

"Oh no, not again!" The ghost cat exclaimed as the small red head launched herself at the large feline with a loud hiss and started to claw at his face and upper torso with her hands as if she were a cat while causing deep claw like scratches to appear. As she bounced off the Ghost cats torso, she twisted and landed on the bridge with all four limbs in a crouched position as if she were an animal, arched her back with her pigtail standing on end and then with a loud yowl of rage she re-launched herself at the giant cat and knocked him off the bridge. As he fell, the ghost cat hollered "You call yourrrself a lady! I would neverrrr marrrrry Youuuu!"

Sitting down on her haunches the young cat girl quickly started to clean her hands with a few well-placed laps of her tongue.

From below the bridge came a loud exclamation "Ai Ya! Scary ghost cat fall back down with face scratched all up. Lucky for cat stupid Moose break fall."

With those words the young girl leaped up on all fours onto the hood of the nearest car, moved to the roof and in this manner jumped from roof to roof until she got back to Doctor Shins car where she leaped through the still open door with a loud meow and curled up on the front seat with her front hands tucked in like the paws of a sleeping cat and began a contented purr.

"Ummm, Doctor Shin, is she purring?" A startled Akira asked.

"Uh, I believe she is."

The young girl slowly raised her head and licked the kind doctor on the end of his nose with a contented sounding meow and then rested her head back on her hands as if they were paws.

A quick knock on the driver's side roof caused Doctor Shin to turn his head and observe a different policeman standing there. Rolling down his window he asked "May I help you officer?"

"Did that young lady just jump in your car?" The officer asked. "If so, how are you related to her."

"Yes she did, and I am not related to her. I am merely her attending physician. The woman currently in charge of her welfare is seated behind me. May I ask why you want to know?"

"Well, I have never seen anyone else get the best of Mao-mo-lin the ghost cat. I was just wondering who she was and why she acted like some kind of crazy cat girl." The officer said as he scratched his head.

"I'm afraid we can't tell you that, she has acute amnesia brought on by a massive concussion. We have been unable to find her family so we are in route to Tokyo so that Child Services can find an orphanage for her to stay at."

"Oh, well that is too bad. That was amazing to watch. She really tore into that bride chasing ghost cat, knocked it back off the bridge and ended the fight at the base of the bridge with her actions. Haven't seen anything like that since Saotome died. Thanks to her, we can safely get traffic moving again. Have a nice day." The officer said and then started to wave them to move forward.

Doctor Shin and Akira turned, looked at each and as one mouthed aloud the words "Ghost Cat?"

At those words, Red sat up and looked around with low growl. When she didn't see anything she curled back up in the sunshine and went to sleep to take a cat nap as Doctor Shin continued to drive with the slow moving traffic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 8**

"Are you sure she's going to be all right!?" Akira loudly demanded.

"No I'm not, but she seems to have stopped purring a few miles back. While I have never seen anything like this before, I don't imagine this type of reaction is a first time for her. Not with everything else that seems to happen to this girl. Since she seems to be waking up, let's wait and see for ourselves." Doctor Shin said.

After sitting up, Red stretched and looked around. "Umm, how did I get back in the car? The last thing I remember was a giant Ghost c-c-cat falling on me and wanting me ta be its bride." Red said with a shudder.

"Well, you came bounding back on all fours, leaped in the car and proceeded to meow, growl and purr like a cat." Doctor Shin worriedly replied.

"A c-cat! No way! I can't stand those furry little devils." Red protested while waving her arms in front of her.

"A policeman also stopped and said they were grateful for the way you took out a giant ghost cat and stopped the fight under the bridge." Doctor Shin continued.

"I remember that furry nightmare fallin' on me, but I don't remember anything after that. If I took out the c-cat and stopped the fight, I sure don't remember nothing bout it." Red said as she sat back with a pout and folded her arms.

"Well, it appears that you're back to normal now. That's good since we're near our first stop and I can't imagine taking you there in the condition you were in." Doctor Shin said.

"Wait, back up, are you telling me that ghost cat lives in Nerima?"

"Well, the police officer seemed to indicate that it does."

"Well, I don't want anything to do with an area that has a giant ghost c-cat looking for brides." Red stated with strong finality in her voice.

"Ummm, I'm sure we can set things up so you don't have to stay in Nerima, right Akira?"

"I'm sure that shouldn't be a problem." Akira said with a raised eyebrow.

"Good, cause I'm pretty sure that crazy c- c- cat ain't finished with me." Red said as she looked around to see where they were. "Hey, what building is that? It's really big!"

"That is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. It is often called the Tocho and is located in west Shinjuku, one of the twenty three wards of Tokyo. We will be meeting with representatives of the Child Guidance Center or CGC. They are in charge of welfare for children in Japan. They will help find a home for you until your family is found, you're adopted, or you come of age." Akira lectured.

"Oh." Red said with a slight frown.

"Also, we will go to the top of the tower and look around from the observation deck, and then we will get lunch in one of the restaurants that are up there." Doctor Shin said with a smile.

"You said this was the first stop. What's the second?"

"That's a surprise, but it does involve that special dinner I promised you." Doctor Shin winked.

"I still think that's a bad idea." Akira said with a frown.

"Well, the CGC have approved it, as you already know." Turning back to Red he continued, "Tomorrow the CGC will take you to your new home, where ever that may be. I will make sure they understand you don't want to go to Nerima and that I think it would be a bad idea for your overall mental health."

After a couple of more minutes, Doctor Shin pulled up to the gates of a public parking garage, took the ticket a machine spit out at him and then pulled into a parking space two levels up.

"We will leave your bags in the car for now. This garage has full time security so they will be safe."

"Kay."

After a brief walk they left the garage and walked towards the main entrance of the Tocho as Red gawked up at the height of the double towered structure. After entering the lobby, Akira steered them towards the elevators that serviced the first tower. After a brief wait as various Japanese citizens and government workers milled around them on their way to and from their respective destinations, the stainless steel doors opened.

Entering the elevators, Akira pressed the button for floor number thirty. After a short ride, the express elevators delivered them to the floor of their choice. With a wave of her hand, Akira steered them down a couple of halls until they came to a door that was labeled "Child Guidance Center." Inside was a small foyer with a few chairs, a table with some magazines and some brochures, and a reception desk with an older woman seated behind it.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I'm Akira Yamatsu. I have an appointment with the board about our mystery girl who was found in Yuzawa." She said with a slight bow.

"Ah yes, the young martial artist with the supposed gender issues." The secretary said as she looked down at an appointment book. "You do realize that your claims are somewhat unbelievable, the board is going to want proof of several of these claims during the course of this interview." She continued as she looked up.

"I understand, I had a hard time believing them until they were shown to me."

"Please have a seat. The board will want to interview the girl first. There are some questions about your report that they want to verify for themselves. This way dear." The receptionist said as she opened a door that led into a hallway and guided Red through it.

Red followed her down the hall and into a second room with a hardwood floor; oak shelves lined the walls and they were filled with large, leather bound books. A large mahogany conference table dominated the center of the room where it was flanked with red leather, high backed executive chairs set around it. Along one wall an elegant long red leather couch flanked by two end tables with a couple of reading lamps gave the room a slightly less formal air.

"Have a seat on the couch. The board is in another meeting but will join you shortly." The receptionist indicated with a wave of her hand in the general direction of the sitting area.

"Kay." Red said as she moved over and sat down with a yawn as she looked around the room. "Hope they won't be long, I get bored easily."

After the receptionist left the room, Red stood up and wandered around the table as she scanned the titles of the various books. Most of them looked real boring to her with titles describing topics relating to inheritance laws, adoption laws, trust and antitrust laws, etc. After picking up a few of the books and quickly scanning through them, she placed them back on their shelves, walked back over and laid herself out on the couch to wait.

After several long minutes of counting the dots on the ceiling tiles and looking for random patterns, the door opened and an older Japanese man in a tired business suit walked into the room. His stature was surprisingly short, his wispy hair was gray, and his face was lined with wrinkles. With a disapproving grimace the man folded his arms and glared at her.

"What?"

"That is a couch, not a bed. Your feet do not belong on it young lady; especially not when you are still wearing your shoes." The man scolded with a disapproving frown.

"Well, you shouldn't have kept me waiting. What else was I supposed ta do, sit around like a stupid manikin while I waited for ya ta finally get around ta seeing me?" Red said as she sat up and folded her arms across her chest. "For that matter, what kind of a self-important idiot keeps a kid waiting for over a half hour with nothing to do?"

"Young lady, you do not have the right to speak to your superiors that way. You better apologize right now or face my wrath." The man said with anger in his gravelly voice.

Both the sound and tone of his voice instantly went through her brain like a hated familiar strike of lightning. His mannerisms and voice were both eerily familiar and yet completely unfamiliar at the same time. The one thing she was sure of was that she didn't like him on sight. Something about him made her think he was similar in nature to someone she couldn't remember but she was sure she disliked and had no real respect for.

"Like Heck I will! Ya kept me waiting on you, and then ya have the nerve to demand an apology from me. And by the way, as for you being my superior, ya sure as heck ain't!" Red snarled with a raised voice as she jumped to her feet with a surprising amount of unreasonable righteous anger rising in her breast. Despite the familiarity of her feelings towards this man, she couldn't remember ever having felt this way before.

"Why you disrespectful little brat! Children are supposed to wait for and listen to their elders, after which they are supposed to immediately perform any instructions given to them. They should not talk back or argue with their elders. If you were my child, you would be placed across my knee and given a proper spanking." The aged bureaucrat stated with a firm nod of his head as he tried to bore holes in the young girl with a piercing, angry stare.

"Not when the elder is nothing more than an old man who likes ta punish children; 'specially not when the child in question doesn't know them and they have never been properly introduced." Red said harshly as she repeatedly poked him in the belly with the index finger of her right hand and backed him up against the wall with a slight bump. "For all I know, you're some kind of perv who gets their jollies from spanking little girls. Why, for all I know, you just want ta steal my panties and spanking me is some kind of sick excuse!"

"How DARE you!"

"Hey! What the heck is going on in here?" A smartly dressed woman in a grey business suit with long hair pulled up in a tightly wound coif demanded as she entered the room.

"Jus protecting myself against this mean old perv." Red said as she turned towards the new comer.

"PERV! Why you rotten little brat! How dare you accuse me of such a thing! Just because you don't like to mind your elders, doesn't give you the right to make unfounded accusations." The man vehemently spat.

"And just cause you were unhappy because I had my feet on your couch don't give ya the right ta start yelling at me and threatening to spank me, ya old perv." Red spat right back.

"The Couch! Again?! You started a fight with her over that leather couch I was stupid enough to let you order? Yori, this is the third time you have verbally punished a child over that couch. It is a piece of furniture for anyone in this office to use; it is not your private sitting area. It's not like she was jumping up and down on it." The woman snarled at the man.

Turning her gaze on Red, she continued. "And as for you young lady, you shouldn't back people up against walls and yell at them just because you are upset. I realize you are having a rough time of things right now, but you shouldn't let others get under your skin so easily. Who knows what kind of trouble that could get you into."

"Your right lady, but there's jus' something about that old pervert that really gets ta me. It's almost as if he reminds me of someone I have had problems with before." Red sighed as she looked down and twirled the toes of her right foot against the floor while holding her hands behind her back.

"Well, my name is Ayame and I am part of the board that will be here to interview you as an abandoned or orphaned child. If you would have a seat in that chair at the end of the table, the others will arrive shortly." She said with slight smile at the young girl. "Yori, take your seat and keep your mouth shut while we wait for the others." She finished with a scowl at the old man.

With a couple of light bounces, Red hopped across the room and into her chair with a twist and a backwards flip. As she came to a rest, she interlaced her fingers behind her neck, put her feet up on the table and leaned back with a slight smirk on her face. "Pleased ta meet ya."

"Umm, young lady, while that was quite impressive, please refrain from using the furniture in that manner and take your feet off the table. Good girls should show better manners than that." Ayame said with a slight frown.

Red reluctantly took her feet off the table and sat up. "When we gonna get started, I have been waiting for quite a while now and I'm getting bored and hungry."

"Impudent Child!" Yori growled.

"Zip it Yori, part of her attitude is your fault." Turning back to the young girl she continued. "We will begin as soon as the other three board members get here. By the way, what name should I use when I address you?"

"Well, I don't really know my real name so I have been going by Red for now."

"Red. I guess that fits for now, how long will you be going by that name?" Ayame replied with a slightly raised eyebrow as she took a seat at the head of the table.

"'Till I can remember my real name." She replied.

"What if you never remember your name?"

"Then Red will do. It was given ta me by a friend."

About that time one very young woman in a stylized black business suit that emphasized her feminine curves walked through the door followed by a middle aged Japanese man in a dark blue suit with a red tie, and a tall Japanese man in his mid to late 20's wearing a casual light brown suit with a yellow tie that was pulled loose at his open collar. As they moved into the room they each gave nods to Yori and Ayame before seating themselves at the table.

"Since we are all here, it looks like we can get started with the questions." Ayame said with a slight smile.

"Bout time." Red complained.

"See, she's a rotten little brat!" Yori snarled towards Ayame.

"Shut up ya old perv, I wasn't talking ta you."

"You are the rudest child I have had the displeasure of meeting!" Yori said as his face flushed an angry red.

"Red, do you think you could stop pushing Yori's buttons?" Ayame requested with a tired sigh.

"I'll try, if he keeps quiet. For some reason that I don't really understand, I don't like him." Red said as she crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.

"I can see that. Now, we don't normally interview the children that need a place to live like this, but we need to ascertain the, ummm . . . ." Ayame said with a pause.

"The Veracity?" The brown suited man supplied.

"Ah yes, Kenji, a perfect word. The veracity of statements we have received regarding your circumstances." Ayame continued.

"What's ver- veracity mean?" Red queried with a tilt of her head.

"That would be truth, little lady." The man in the brown suit answered.

"Let me guess, you want to know if I really turn inta a guy when hit with hot water."

"Umm, yes. We would also like to ascertain your level of education, and verify your martial arts abilities." The man with the red tie said.

"Lies, all lies." Yori said with a huff as he loudly slapped the table with both of his hands.

"Shut up ya old perv!" Red said as she jumped to her feet. "I ain't a liar, my honor won't allow for it."

"Yori! Keep your trap shut, if I have to ask you again, I will move with formal proceedings to remove you from this room and exclude you from her case. I will also make sure a formal reprimand is added to your employee files."

"Can you prove the claims that you turn into a boy? That you are a martial arts master, and that you can perform the physical feats described by your doctor and your case worker?" Kenji asked with a slightly condescending smile as he adjusted his yellow tie.

"Why would anyone make that up?" Red asked with a frown.

"So they can get special treatment and benefits would be one reason. Attention would be another." The young woman in the business suit said with a neutral expression.

"Why would anyone want any of that? I don't much like being at the center of attention." Red replied with a puzzled look.

"So you are claiming you turn into a boy with hot water?" The woman asked.

"I ain't claiming nothing. I'm telling ya a simple fact. If ya don't believe me, then bring me some hot and cold water." Red replied to the business woman.

"Bah! I don't believe it!" Yori humphed to himself.

"I don't care what ya believe, ya old pervert!" Red yelled and then stuck out her tongue at Yori as she pulled down the lower lid of her right eye with her right index finger.

"Yori!"

"Sorry, I was just speaking to myself." Yori said with a scowl.

"Then keep it to yourself." Ayame snapped at him and then turned her head towards the younger woman. "Kiko, would you please go and get us some hot and cold water?"

"Certainly." Kiko replied as she stood up and left the room.

"You claim to be a master of martial arts, do you have any paper work to prove it?" Kenji politely asked the young girl.

"Yeah, I got a certificate given ta me by Sensei Tadashi. But a piece of paper don't mean much unless ya can survive a full out attack and defeat your attacker. Lots of so called martial artists have belts and certificates, but they don't mean much cause they can't use what they practice and teach."

"May we see it, please?"

"It's in the car with my luggage. If ya want ta see it, I will have ta go to Doctor Shin's car ta get it."

"Later then." Kenji finished as Kiko returned to the room with a tea kettle in one hand and a glass carafe in the other.

After placing the items in front of Red, she returned to her seat and sat down with a practiced motion that kept her skirts smooth and wrinkle free.

Reaching out Red lifted the lid on the kettle and carefully stuck her finger into the water, then quickly extracted it. "I said hot water, not boiling! Ya trying ta cook me?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about how hot the water was."

"Sorry, I should have realized that." Red apologized as she added some of the cold water to the kettle to cool it down to a usable temperate. "Ok, watch carefully cause I ain't gonna do this more n' once."

When she dumped the water from the kettle over her head there were gasps as her hair changed from red to black, and she changed heights.

"I don't believe it!" Yori exclaimed as he grabbed his chest.

"Well, can't say I've ever seen anything like that before." Kenji said.

"Oh my!" Kiko said with wide eyes as she gripped the edge of the table.

"Never in my life would I have believed that could be true." The man in the red tie gasped.

"Well, I guess that proves that. How complete is the change?" Ayame said with a raised eyebrow.

"As complete as it gets." Red replied with a slightly flushed face.

"You say cold water changes you back?" Kenji asked.

"Yep." Red said then poured the carafe over his head and returned to being a she.

"Well then, let's have the boards brought in shall we?" Kenji said with a slight smile.

"Boards?" Red queried as she cocked her head to one side.

"Yeah, for breaking, if you are a master martial artist then you should be able to break some boards for us." Kenji replied

"Boards don't fight back." Red quoted.

"Scared?"

"No, but they better be really heavy boards or it ain't gonna be much of a challenge." Red arrogantly said as she laced her hands behind her head.

Kenji picked up the receiver on the telephone and dialed a four digit number. "Miyata? Yes, please bring in those boards. Yes . . . Yes . . . . No . . . OK, bye."

"Ok Red, the boards will be here in just a minute or two." Kenji continued as he hung up the hand set.

After a couple of minutes a man in a dark pair of slacks and a white golf shirt entered the room and placed a stack of pine boards on the table. There were ten half inch thick boards cut to narrow dimensions approximately six inches by twelve inches.

"Are you kidding me?" Red said as she looked at the boards.

"What, can't you break boards that big? The martial arts teacher I consulted told me that this is a standard size for children around your age to break." Kenji asked with a smirk.

"Of course I can break em. I could break one of those with my index finger. This is an insult." Red huffed as she crossed her arms with a frown.

"Bah! See, she's a fake! Just like I told you." Yori snarled.

"Fake! Shut up ya perv. I'll show you fake."

Stepping around the table, Red picked up one of the boards with her left hand, held it out in front of her then casually flicked the board with the middle finger of her right hand. With a loud crack, the board split down the middle and the half she wasn't holding flew across the room and bounced off the wall.

With a dismissive gesture the young girl tossed the other half of the board back on top of the remaining boards. "I can smash concrete blocks stacked up taller than myself with one blow. These are nothing." She said with a smirk.

"Prove it! I dare to break all of those remaining boards with one blow." Yori dared.

"Kay, I will do that, ya old pervert." Red replied with a glare.

Picking up the stack of boards she moved them down to the end of the table where she had been seated. Moving over to the book case she picked out two books of equal thickness and then stacked the boards like a bridge between the two books on the table.

"Ya sure about this?" She asked with a brief hesitation.

"See I told you she couldn't do it." Yori said with satisfaction.

"Go ahead." Kenji said with a nod.

With a loud yell, Red leaped up into the air and came down on the boards with a descending shoto chop that explosively split the boards away from her strike at a high rate of velocity and continued down into the table which broke down the middle from end to end and finished on the floor in two parts that leaned up to form a V shape.

"KAMI SAMA!" Kenji yelled as he leaped back.

"Hey, watch it!" Kiko exclaimed as she dodged flying boards and the falling halves of the table.

"You rotten brat! You did that on purpose! You're going to pay for that table!" Yori yelled with anger.

"I Never!" Exclaimed the man in the blue suit.

The sound of applause started to fill the room as Ayame clapped with a smile. "Wonderful. I hated that table; it was too corporate for my tastes. Maybe now I can get some nice chairs and reading tables in this room instead. With that display, I don't think we need to disbelieve any more of the reports on you. I will take it on faith you can lift the amount of weight that your doctor put on his forms."

"Does that mean I can go get my lunch with Doctor Shin now?" Red asked as her stomach punctuated her question with a loud growl.

"What about the table she broke?!" Yori furiously asked.

"What about it?"

"Well, she should pay to have it replaced." Yori heatedly continued.

"No, I think it is a fit punishment for your behavior today. I know you think children should be seen but not heard. That you feel they should automatically give you deferential treatment for the simple reason that you are an adult. Well, I have been unhappy with some of your behaviors in the past, but this goes beyond my tolerance. I shall be turning in a review with the director, and it will not be favorable." Ayame said as she placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward at the waist towards Yori.

"What! But it's her fault! She won't behave the way she is supposed to so I was just trying to teach her manners." Yori snarled as he pointed one finger at Red.

"I don't care what you were trying to do, you were out of line. You will not be consulted in placement locations for this young child. Please leave." Ayame firmly said as she pointed at the door.

"I'll get even with you for this you little brat." Yori said with a shake of his fist as he turned and stomped out of the room.

"YORI!" Ayame yelled after him.

"Umm, sorry about this." Red said hesitantly as she placed her right hand on the back of her neck. "I didn't want him ta get in ta trouble; we just didn't like each other. Sometimes people just don't like each other when they meet, don't mean they're bad people."

"Whether he liked you or not is immaterial. His behavior was unprofessional. That is the reason he will receive a reprimand, not because of his like or dislike of an individual child." Ayame said as she crouched down and placed her right hand on the redhead's shoulder. "You must be a very kind child to defend him like that. Most children would be happy to see someone they had such a strong disagreement with get in trouble."

"Life's too short ta hold a grudge against anyone." Red replied with a very serious expression.

"That is a very wise philosophy. Shall we take you back to your two escorts so you can get some lunch?" Ayame said as she stood back up.

"Sounds good ta me lady, I'm real hungry." Red said as her stomach let out a loud growl when she moved to follow Ayame out of the conference room.

[_Authors notes to his readers and reviewers:_

_Thank you for all the kind reviews. _

_With some of the comments, I thought I better answer some question or concerns about this little tale._

_If you read the synopsis of this story you will see that it has an order to it. We are in the middle of establishing a new life for Red and giving her a reason to study music and cooking phase right now. Yes there will be an explanation for the death of Saotome in a future chapter. The Eldrich Library will be revealed after she is established in her new life and Hogwarts will come after that. For me the blending of two universes can be done one of two ways. Either with a throw them into the deep end and see if they swim approach or with a strong change in their circumstances that leads them to blend into the other Universe by intent or accident. I am approaching this story with the later approach and it will probably be at least fifty chapters long or more so don't be surprised that it will take a few chapters before we are hit over the head with J.K. Rowlings Universe, but I promise it will happen._

_Ja Ne._]


	9. Chapter 9

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 9**

Stepping from the elevators onto the observation deck on the forty fifth floor of the Tocho's southern tower, Red looked around the large glass enclosed area. Piano music filtered through the air from a small bar decorated with plastic ivy vines covering fake Roman style columns. While the bar was rather tacky, the light jazz being tickled out of the ivories was a very pleasant counterpoint to a rather ugly eyesore. Stepping over to the windows, Red found the day was clear enough to see Mount Fuji towering in the distance across a landscape of concrete jungles, business distracts, streets and urban sprawl.

As she stared at the majesty of a snow topped Mount Fuji, a vague memory of fighting a very large panda flitted through her mind. The sky was dark and heavy as rain sheeted down from the lightning filled skies. The panda's attacks were powerful and merciless, and the blows were heavy and hurt. They leaped from rock to rock with an agility and grace that belied the slick sharp surfaces that they danced on. At times they leaped for the sky as they clashed together in the air and seemed to defy gravity almost as if they wished to fly while they fought.

As quickly as the memory cut through her mind with the force of the remembered electrical storm, it faded from sharp clarity into a blurred image as if someone had splashed water across a chalk drawing. As a tear ran down her cheek, she watched the clouds and smog of the city obscure the sacred mountain as if it disappeared along with her view of the past.

For several minutes she stood with silent tears moving down her face as she struggled to remember who and what she once was. Slowly the beauty of the piano music filtered through her pain and began to ease her heart. Reaching up with one hand she carefully wiped the tears away, then turned as if under a spell and moved towards the sound of the piano.

Standing unnoticed behind the piano she watched the musician's hands move deftly and smoothly across the keys. As she watched with fascination she noticed she could see over his shoulder where the sheet music sat. As she tried to follow along, she noticed that there were words written for a vocalist, though no one was singing. The words seemed familiar, but the tune the pianist was currently playing didn't match the vocals she was reading, which was too bad because they rather matched her current melancholy.

With a series of chords the man in a nice tan suit finished the tune he was playing with a flourish, paused to drink from a water glass set on a coaster on one side of his instrument and then began an intro into the song she had been looking at. The tune was slow yet deliberate along with a syncopated beat that had the feel of another place and time. When he reached the start of the words she found herself unexpectedly opening her mouth and singing with a clear but slightly rough soprano voice that carried true and strong throughout the small bar.

"Some folks were meant to live in clover, but they are such a chosen few.  
And clover being green is something I've never seen 'Cause I was born to be blue."

As she finished the first verse someone handed her a wireless microphone, which she brought up to her mouth and continued to follow the words of the song in front of her while she swayed in time to the clear notes of the piano.

"When there's a yellow moon above me, they say there's moonbeams I should view.  
But moonbeams being gold are something I can't behold 'Cause I was born to be blue."

As she sang, her voice echoed and rang with a deep emotional context that touched the hearts of those who were listening to her despite the occasional imperfect note. The depth of feeling found in her voice gave those who heard her sing the strong impression that she was much older than she appeared as if the world had aged her beyond her apparent years.

"When I met you the world was bright and sunny, when you left the curtain fell.  
I'd like to laugh but nothing strikes me funny now my world's a faded pastel."

As the appropriateness of the words 'faded pastel' struck a strong resonance in her heart, silent tears glittered in her eyes as someone turned a spotlight onto her position behind the piano as she continued in a voice that made you want to sympathize with her pain and openly weep with her.

"Well, I guess I'm luckier than some folks, I've known the thrill of loving you.  
And that alone is more than I was created for 'Cause I was born to be blue."

As she sang the last notes of the song, the brief image of a teenage girl with short cut black hair and a cute smile rose up and faded away, like the sounds of a tune long forgotten. As she finished she bowed her head in sorrow for forgotten memories and lowered her arms down by her side. For a brief moment silence covered the small bar as if she stood alone in the world, then applause roared up from the scattered patrons of the drinking establishment.

As the applause fell away like memories on the wind someone handed her a few pages of sheet music where she read the title words, "I should care." With a start she realized that she knew this song as well. As the piano player started a bass rhythm with his left hand, she saw a mental image of the panda drinking sake while seated at a table in a red lighted bar where jazz played quietly in the background from speakers set in the corners of the room.

When it came time to enter with her vocals, she raised her head and her mike, and let her voice rise up to blend with the melody put forth by the right hand of her accompanist. This song evoked the feeling of someone who must accept a situation and pretend that it didn't bother her when in reality it did. Her young clear voice added a note of sincerity to the message contained in the melodious tune.

For the next thirty minutes, she finished one song after another as music was exchanged into and out of her hands by a man wearing a wireless headset. As she sang she put her fears, tears, hopes and her wishes into the music as it rose and fell from her mouth while she played a counterpoint to the beauty of the musician that played for her.

When she finished applause rang loud and clear as she gave a small bow to the audience that had grown larger and larger while she sang. Moving from behind his piano, the man in the business suit reached out and shook her hand. "Thank you, young lady. You may sing with me anytime you like."

"Thank you." Red replied as she bowed her head. "I am glad you aren't mad at me for singing while you were playing."

"Well, I was a little startled at first, but your voice was a nice addition to my act. My name is Ichiro, here is my card, please contact me when you can. Perhaps you can get your parent's permission to sing with me in the future. I think we could work up a good act and make some decent money together." The man said with a bow as he extended a business card out towards her.

Taking the card, Red returned the bow then looked up at the man. "Nice ta meet ya. My name is Red and I'm an orphan, so I don't have anyone to ask permission from. I will be happy ta contact ya after the CGC gets through with me and I know where I will be forced ta live. Do you give piano lessons? After watching you play, I would like to learn."

"Normally I do not give lessons, but if you will sing with me, I will give you lessons in not only the piano but I will arrange for you to train your voice with a friend of mine as well." Ichiro said with a bow.

"Excuse me miss, I am the manager of this bar. Children really shouldn't be in here, but your voice was so beautiful that I couldn't bear to ask you to leave. Have you had any lunch? We have an excellent chef who would be willing to cook for you." A man with a thin mustache in a black pinstriped business suit said with a small bow.

"If you want to feed her, you better have your chef makes enough food for five adults. Her appetite is monstrous." Doctor Shin said as he approached the small stage.

"Umm, hiya Doc. How long have you been listening." Red asked as she nervously scratched the back of her head with one hand.

"From the moment I heard you start that first song." He said with a smile. "I had no idea you would have such a beautiful singing voice despite being a little rough around the edges."

"Uhh, thanks. Neither did I." Red said with a lopsided smile.

"Is this young girl your daughter?" the manager asked.

"No, I am her physician and surgeon. I am also lucky enough to be able to count her as a friend." Doctor Shin replied.

"Ahh, then you will be needing to join her for lunch. Are there any others in your party?"

"Just one. She is the woman standing over there with the slightly disapproving scowl." Doctor Shin said with a smile and a nod of his head in the direction of Akira.

"I will have our Italian chef prepare a fine meal for all of you. When you are ready, you may sit at that table over there." The manager said with a smile and a wave of his hand before he turned and headed towards a door at the back of the room and entered it with a loud cry of "Sono Affamato!"

"May I join you as well?" Ichiro asked. "I have a thirty minute break and I would like to get to know Red better."

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you. Shall we sit down and order drinks?" Ichiro said as he started to move towards the table indicated by the manager.

"That is a good idea." Doctor Shin said.

As they sat down Akira joined them at the table and sat down with a slight humph. Shortly a waiter came over and took their order for drinks. Doctor Shin ordered a martini, Akira a glass of wine, Ichiro a gin and tonic while Red, after some advice, ordered a Shirley Temple.

"So kid, tell me where you learned to sing?" Ichiro questioned as he leaned forward with one arm on the table.

"I don't know. It just felt right, as if I have sung on a stage before." Red said as she took her Shirley temple from the waiter with a quiet thank you.

"Any idea where you have heard Jazz before? You obviously knew the songs you were singing." Ichiro asked as he stirred his gin and tonic with a swizzle stick.

"Yeah, but I don't want ta say. You will probably just think I'm crazy." Red said as she took a sip of her drink.

"I don't know about that, I have seen some pretty weird stuff in my travels."

"Ya sure ya won't think I'm crazy no matter how weird it sounds ta ya?"

"I promise to keep an open mind." Ichiro assured her with a smile.

"OK then. The only thing I remember is a bar with lots of red lights and Jazz was playing in the background. The weird part is that I was sitting at a table with a Panda who was drinking sake while I listened to the prerecorded music." Red said with a slightly embarrassed flush to her cheeks.

"A panda?" Doctor Shin queried.

"Yeah, a panda. It was sitting in a chair and drinking from a cup with a large bottle of sake sitting in front of it."

"You could be remembering a dream." Doctor Shin said with a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, I could be. I don't know, as you well know doc." Red said with her head slightly cocked to one side.

"Excuse me, why wouldn't you remember if it was a dream or not." Ichiro asked with a puzzled expression.

"Cause I don't remember anything before 'bout a month ago when I woke up in the hospital, not even my own name." Red hesitantly admitted.

"Ah, then you get to enjoy rediscovering the wonder of jazz all over again. Please let me be your guide on this road. You have a beautiful voice, even if it is a little rough and untutored. I look forward to training it and teaching you the keyboard as well. Who knows, we may run into your panda while we do so."

"Sounds fun; I will have ta contact ya after I know where I'm going ta be staying."

"I will look forward to it." Ichiro replied as a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and a fresh salad was placed in front of him, then Doctor Shin and Akira received a portion for themselves.

"Ooo, that looks good." Red said as she started to drool.

"Yours will be out in a moment, the boss told the head Chef you said 'sono affamato' which is Italian for feed me, I'm starving. I should warn you, the Chef went crazy. He started yelling all around the kitchen that he must feed this 'poor a starving child,' and then he started cooking anything and everything in the place. I really hope you're very hungry." The waiter said with a slightly embarrassed bow as he set a basket of garlic bread in the center of the table.

"Sono affamato? I don't speak Italian, why would the manager tell the chef I said that?" Red asked with a puzzled expression.

"I don't know. But I hope they feed you well. We are dining very late tonight. Your appetite is rather scary and I am in fear for my limbs when your stomach growls." Akira said with a mocking smile as she raised a bite of salad up to her mouth.

"Hey!" Red said with mock indignity.

"Ahhh, there she is, my young a' starving child." A booming voice sounded as a large barrel chested man with a broad handlebar style mustache wearing a white chef's jacket announced as he strode towards their table. "Don't you worry none; I will make sure you are well fed. First we will start with the appetizers."

Standing fully erect he imperiously clapped his hands together with two loud cracks. Before the sound of the second clap could start to fade, their waiter wheeled a large trolley from the back and set several plates of food in front of the young girl.

"Here we have a fine antipasta, a nice seafood platter with clams, shrimp and calamari, a nice a' crusty bread with a beautiful gorgonzola and some salami plus a nice order of spicy quail eggs. Mangia bene." He said with a flourish and then stepped back to watch her eat.

"OH BOY!" Red exclaimed as she started quickly dishing up very large servings for herself. Picking up a fork and knife, her hands began to move so fast that the food appeared to disappear off her plate as if by magic. No one could even see the food make it up to her mouth. Within mere moments the food was gone and her plates were sparkling clean as if freshly washed.

"Does she always eat like that?" Ichiro asked with a startled expression and a meatball halfway up to his mouth.

"Well, she normally eats incredibly fast, but I have never seen the food magically disappear like that." Doctor Shin said with rather large eyes.

"You eat fast enough to be a Chardin. Are you perhaps related?" The Chef asked with a slight frown.

"Nope, not that I am aware of, I just love really good food. The better it is, the faster I eat and that is some of the best food I can remember ever eating." Red said with a smile.

"Excuse me." Akira said to the Chef. "What do you mean by a Chardin?"

"Ah, I speak of a large noble French family, the Chardins. They are known for a form of eating known as battle dining. I once lost a bet to one of their number, it cost me a great deal including my job at a high end restaurant in Italy." The Chef said with a somber expression. "I am glad to know she is not a Chardin, I swore I would never cook for a Chardin ever again."

"I am sorry to hear of your bad experience, but I thank you for sharing that with me. We are looking for her family and she doesn't remember her family name, so anything could be a lead. But since they are French and she is Japanese, it is highly unlikely that she has roots with this family." Akira said

"Well then, with that out of the way, let us move on to the soup." The chef said with a slow smile and another double clap. "Here we have a fine minestrone and next to it, a fine passatelli. And to accompany the soup we have a hot Italian loaf with fresh butter."

"MMMM, that smells good." Red said and then made quick work of the soup and the bread.

"Molto bene! What a wonderful appetite. It is a pleasure to be your chef. Next we have some fine pasta. A dish of cheese and veal ravioli, a nice fettuccini with a cream sauce and chicken, some spaghetti and meatballs, along with some very nice cheese cannelloni. Mangia bene." The Chef said with a clap of his hands.

Quickly removing the plates the young girl had devoured, the waiter set out the new dishes along with a clean plate and a glass of white wine.

"Uh, she shouldn't have that wine." Akira said with a frown as she pointed at the offending glass.

"It is alright; it is a non-alcoholic wine and will help bring out the flavors of the pasta." The chef said with a condescending smile as he muttered to himself about backward countries that place unnecessary restrictions on children.

Reaching up Red took a small sip of the wine, and followed it with a bite of the ravioli. With a delighted smile she returned to the near magical speed she had employed for the earlier course and rapidly finished off the dishes and the wine.

"Is there more?" she asked with wide innocent looking eyes that glinted in the low light while she held her clenched hands under her chin with her fingers curled in towards her neck.

"Accck! Cute attack! Quickly, bring the next course!" The Chef exclaimed as he once again clapped his hands.

With a flurry of activity, their waiter cleared her empty plates, and replaced them with a large platter of food. With a nice flourish he placed a nice piece of stemware in front of her and then filled it with a red wine.

"Now for the main course, veal chops with artichokes, pork roulades with apricots, stuffed pot roast, pheasant, rabbit cacciatore with a nice side of parmesan asparagus, some baby carrots in cream and beets with béchamel sauce. Mangia bene." The Chef proudly proclaimed.

"Are you sure she can eat all of that without exploding?" Ichiro asked with wide eyes

"I once watched her eat ten plates of food and then ask for dessert." Doctor Shin said as he wiped up some sauce with a piece of garlic bread.

"This looks and smells great! Thanks Chef!" Red said in front of her.

As she started to reach the end of her food, she started to eat at a slower pace as if she was starting to finally fill up. When she was finished she patted her stomach with a Cheshire like grin and asked "Dessert?"

"Of course; I have prepared for you a fine chocolate soufflé, a crème brulee, a vanilla cannoli, some tiramisu and to finish everything off, a nice refreshing lemon ice." The Chef said with a fond smile as the waiter cleared the table and placed the sugary confections in front of the drooling redhead.

"All right! Desserts are the best!" Red excitedly said as she took a taste of the soufflé. "Oooo, it's good!"

With a quick flourish, she spun her spoon in her hand, and then dug into the deserts with a huge grin. After polishing off the last of the lemon ice, she sat back with a contented smile and let out a loud belch.

"Red! Please say excuse me!" Akira scolded.

"Sorry." Red apologized

"Please, don't apologize, that was a great compliment. Never have I seen a young girl with such a healthy appetite. It has been a pleasure to cook for you. Thank you." The Chef said with a smile.

"No, thank you! This is the best meal I remember ever eating. I loved it." Red said with a small bow of her head.

"Thank you. You have made an old chef very happy. Anytime you need a good meal, you come see me." The Chef said.

"Thanks, I will." Red said with a smile and a small bow.

With a gleam in his eye, the Chef returned the bow and then turned to return back to the kitchens with a happy spring in his step.

"If I hadn't seen it, I would never believe that such a small child could put away that much food." Ichiro said as he leaned back in his chair. "Where does she put it all, and how will she stay thin if she always eats like that?"

"She's an extraordinary martial artist. I think she eats that much because of the amount of energy she needs to meet her necessary physical energy demands based upon her normal exertions." Doctor Shin answered.

"Oh." Ichiro said as he finished his own meal. "Just so long as she doesn't expect that type of meal every time she sings. But I must say that she sings for her supper very well."

"A warrior should eat when it is available, because it might not be around later." Red said in a tone that sounded like she was quoting someone.

"Where did you hear that?" Akira asked as she set her fork down onto her half eaten plate of food.

"I don't know, I think someone told it ta me and as I think 'bout it, Ikinda think I have had ta live by it a lot." She thoughtfully replied.

"I could say the same thing for a jazz player." Ichiro said with a wink. "Speaking of which, as I think about it, I may have a present for you little one. Just a moment."

Standing up Ichiro went over and talked to the manager for a few minutes. With a nod of his head, Ichiro stepped out of sight through a hidden wall panel. After a brief wait, he returned carrying a rectangular canvas bag by the loop handles attached to it. Moving forward he set it in front of the curious young girl, unzipped the case and revealed a slightly worn older model Yamaha electric keyboard.

"This was set aside in storage to be retired and recycled. I talked to the manager about obtaining it for you and he said you could have it. He said it saves him the time and effort of dealing with it. You will also find some basic piano books in the side pocket, along with an electrical adapter. The keyboard is midi compatible and can be hooked up to a computer if you have or acquire one." Ichiro informed her.

"Oh wow! I don't know what to say. Thank you." Red said as she impulsively threw her arms around Ichiro's neck.

"Just promise me you will practice after I start to teach you." Ichiro said as he tried to extract himself from her unexpected enthusiastic hug before she could strangle him. "Has anyone ever told you that you are extremely strong?" He continued in a choking whisper.

Red quickly released the struggling musician from her grasp with a slightly embarrassed grin. "I promise I will practice anything you teach me. Sorry about the hug, I sometimes forget my own strength. I'm not sure why I acted that way. I don't normally do things like that but it has been a rough day so my emotions are a little out of whack. I seem ta be havin' mood swings or somethin'. I even got inta a shouting match with some old guy earlier. Do ya think somethin's wrong with me doc?"

"It's probably just the stress of the situation you find yourself in. I have seen full grown adults break down under much less stressful situations." Dr. Shin replied. "Just give it some time and I'm sure your emotional roller coaster will level out. Okay?"

"Kay, Doc." Red replied with a relieved lopsided grin.

A loud electronic squeal cut rudely through their conversation followed by a nasal female voice making an announcement. "Paging Akira Yamatsu, Doctor Shin and the child, Red, who is accompanying them, please return to the CGC offices immediately. I repeat, immediately."

Standing up from the table Akira wiped her mouth on her cloth napkin and carefully placed in on the table next to her plate. "Well, it sounds like they are playing our song. It looks like it is past time to go."

Taking the time to quickly finish his drink, Doctor Shin set his empty glass on the table, wiped his own mouth, stood up and gave Ichiro a respectful nod of his head. "I'm afraid that it is. Thank you for an enjoyable exchange, and a fine performance."

With a smile Red gave Ichiro a martial arts bow with her left hand curled around her right fist. "Thank you. I will be in touch." Then she picked up her new keyboard, turned and gave a respectful nod to the manager. "Thanks for the grub. It was great. Please thank the Chef for me again as well."

"It was my pleasure. I hope to see you here again to sing." The manager said with a small bow of his own.

Coming to his feet, Ichiro gave everyone a brief nod of his head. "Doctor Shin, thanks for your kind words. Red, I look forward to hearing from you."

"Laters!" Red said with enthusiasm as the three of them started out of the bar to return to the CGC offices.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Red let out an exasperated sigh, frowned, forcefully folded her arms and loudly stated "This Sucks! How come I gotta do this crap?"

"You have to do this because we don't have any records that tell us anything about you or about the level of your current education. Also, we don't know your correct age. Because of this we will need to have more information about your skills and abilities so that the orphanage will know the proper school and grade level to assign for you." Ayame stated with a sigh of frustrated resignation.

"So what; I still hate tests." Red said as a pout crossed her young face.

"Still, it is necessary, and it is best to get unwanted tasks out of the way as soon as possible so we can do the things we want to do." Ayame said with a trace of exasperation.

"Fine, give me a pencil and I'll get started." Red said as she extended her hand out with a frown on her face.

"There is one on top of the tests at that desk." Ayame said as she pointed across the room to a school desk in the corner where a six inch stack of papers were placed with a pencil sitting on top of the pile.

"Oh man, that's gonna take forever. This really sucks." Red complained as she reluctantly shuffled towards the desk with her hands in her pockets, slumped shoulders and her head hanging down in a decidedly dejected manner.

"We don't expect you to be able to answer all the questions. These are standardized tests starting from kindergarten up through High School. If you don't know the answers, skip that question and move onto the next. If you come to a set of tests where you don't know anything in them, stop and let me know."

"All right, all right. Sheesh!" Red replied as she sat down at the desk and picked up the first test and started to read.

For the next four hours, Red laboriously moved her way through test after test. As she finished a paper, she would toss it aside with a negligent flick of her hand. Before starting a new paper, she would waste time with frivolous acts such as fiddling with her pencil by balancing it on her nose, drop it and make it spin complex patterns through her fingers after she picked it up. As she engaged in this type of behavior she bitterly complained about being bored or how much of a waste of time she considered the tests to be.

At one point she shredded her pencil while strongly rolling it back and forth between her fingers and had to ask for another one. Another pencil disappeared into the sharpener in a display of speed sharpening. When Ayame would berate her, she would grudgingly start a new set of tests, finish it and repeat the cycle until she had completed tests up to a college level.

"OK, you can stop now. We didn't think you would be able to complete tests this advanced for your age." Ayame said.

"Bout' time." Red huffed out as she shoved the few remaining tests onto the floor. "Some of these were really boring and complicated."

"Well, we just have these last ones to scan, and then we will have the results of your tests, though it may take us longer than we expected to decide on the results since we didn't expect you to go past an elementary level." Ayame sighed in relief. "Meanwhile, why don't you go out in the hall and get a drink from the water fountain."

"Kay!"

With a rapid dash Red left the room and headed for the hall. After a quick stop to use the facilities, she stepped up to the fountain to sate her thirst. As she was drinking a shadowy figure came around the corner and stalked towards her.

"You think you're real smart, don't you? You disrespectful little brat; your kind really makes me sick, you think you can break all the rules and get away with it. I think someone needs to show you some discipline." Yori said with a snarl, and then reached out with clawed hands in an angry attempt to grab her around the throat.

"Hey, you old fart!" Red said with a dismissive snort as she easily evaded his attack. "Ya gotta move faster than that ta get me." She continued with a smirk as she skipped backwards while pulling her lower eyelid down with her middle finger and sticking her tongue out at him.

"Why you disrespectful little monster!" Yori roared as he lunged after her. "I am going to teach you a lesson over my knee!"

"What is going on out here!? Ayame yelled as she snatched the door open with a loud bang and entered the hall.

"Not much, the old fart is just trying ta teach me a lesson." Red said with a laugh as she dodged another angry, overreaching lunge by Yori that left him off balance and wheeling his arms to keep from falling on his face.

"YORI! Leave her alone!"

"NO!" Yori yelled with a guttural snarl. "She is not a martial arts master, and I will prove it."

"Oh yeah? How ya gonna do that, ya old fart. You can't even catch me." Red taunted as she danced out of reach of his increasingly more skillful attempts to snatch her.

"I'm going to defeat you. If you really are a master, you should have no trouble with a little old tenth dan black belt." Yori announced as he rapidly dropped into a powerful fighting stance. "I have been training my whole life in the arts. There is no way you could be a real master in the short time you have been alive. I am outraged at the insult to myself and martial artists everywhere. If I haven't been able to achieve the rank of master then there is no way a young brat like you could have. I will take you down and expose the lie you represent that makes my heart and soul burn with righteous anger!"

With those words he quickly advanced forward and snapped a perfect round house kick at the young girl's head. As she leaned back to let it pass a couple of centimeters in front of her nose, the kick was delivered with so much power that it caused the hair on her head to fly back from the wind of its passing. With a surprisingly light spin for a man of his advanced years Yori leaped into the air and spun around with a series of spinning flying kicks that drove the young girl backwards before their ferocity and speed before she managed to create some distance between herself and the angry old man.

"Jeeez, if that's the way ya feel 'bout it, then I formally accept your challenge, ya old fart." Red said with a smirk and a quick bow with the palm of her open left hand set against the fist of her right.

"YORI! Stop this right now!" Ayame yelled as she stepped in-between Red and her opponent with outstretched arms as if to shield the child from attack.

"It's okay lady, I have accepted his challenge. Side's, the way of a martial artist is fraught with peril. If it would make you feel better, we can have the match in a gym or large room rather than this hall." Red reassured the well-dressed bureaucrat as she dodged around Ayame to block a powerful kick that Yori didn't bother to pull that would have hit the well-meaning woman.

"HEY! Watch the innocent bystanders! Keep her out of it!" Red hollered at Yori as she continued forward and swept his supporting leg out from underneath him, a move that dropped him to the floor where he had to quickly roll backwards to regain his feet.

"Stay out of this Ayame, or you might get hurt!" Yori growled. "This brat needs to be taught her place. I am insulted by her allegations; no one her age could have a master's certificate. So I am going to prove it for the lie that it is.

"Hey lady, where's a large room we could fight in?" Red asked as she blocked another attack from Yori.

"Up one flight of stairs and down the hall to the right is a large gym area used for exercise." A disconcerted Ayame automatically replied before she had a chance to realize what she was saying and say no to the idea of a fight. "Wait, I didn't mean - - -"

"Thanks!" Red interupted with a smile, turned and then ran towards the stairs. "Hey, ya old fart, bet ya can't catch me!" She yelled as she ran.

With a sharp pull, she yanked the door open to the stairs. With a light dance she spun to stick her tongue out at Yori, and then dashed up the stairs with him in close pursuit. Without slowing down, she slammed the door open onto the upper floor and sped down the hall with a speed that quickly opened up a large gap between herself and her enraged adversary.

To her dismay, upon reaching the gym door she discovered that it was a locked, steel reinforced fire door. With a quick shuffle she put her back to the door, where she jumped up and down and waved her hands at the sides of her ears while making raspberry noises at the lumbering man bearing down on her. At the last second she sidestepped out of the way of Yori and watched him crash through the door where he bounced off a lat pull down machine, tripped over a set of dumb bells and sprawled face first onto the floor.

With a quick dash she blurred past her fallen opponent, ran through a fence style gate into a ceiling high, chain link enclosed basketball court and took up a casual looking position in the middle of the polished hardwood floor with her hands in her pocket as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Hey, ya comin' or what?" she demanded while appearing to be bored and relaxed despite the anxious flutterings of misgiving at the situation she found herself in.

With a muffled curse, Yori stood up, and dusted himself off. Then with a slow turn of his head, he locked his eyes onto the small form of the child that was quickly becoming like a tiny demon to him. With slow, deliberate steps he walked through the gate, and then carefully locked and jammed it closed behind him where he effectively trapped his hated target into a cage match with himself. With a slow deliberate stride he moved across the floor without once taking his eyes off his target.

When he was within range, he quickly accelerated into a series of kicks and sweeps with a fast set of agile steps. As he kicked the girl weaved, dodged and swayed around his attacks without once taking her hands out of her pockets until his attacks ran out of momentum and left him feeling like he had been trying to hit an ethereal spirit, such as a ghost.

"Hey that was pretty good old man. Nice form, good power, nice speed, but you're just too slow for me. So how about I give ya a taste of a real attack combo." Red said as she took her hands out of her pockets and brought them up into a loose, relaxed fighting position.

With a quick adjustment of her pant legs at her thighs, she swiped her nose with her right thumb, gave a sneer and then exploded forward with a flying kick that Yori barely managed to block that immediately transitioned into two quick hooks with her left hand that blew his head to the side. As her feet hit the ground, she used the floor as a spring board to leap upwards with both palms of her open hands and slam their heels into the stunned man's chin with an impact that cracked through the air and threw him backwards about twenty feet where he skidded across the floor on his back.

As Yori slowly stood back on his feet and shook his head to clear the cobwebs left from her attack, a loud speaker was heard echoing in the spacious room. "Security! Security! Please hurry to the gym! Emergency in progress, we have a young child under attack and in danger of serious injury."

"Rats!" Red said. "This was just getting fun. Guess we will have to end it quick."

"Yes, yes we will." Yori said with an evil grin that he punctuated with a sinister chuckle. "I was going to take my time and savor this, but I guess I will have to step up my game before I wanted to instead."

Taking in a deep breath and loudly expelling it, Yori began a slow deliberate set of motions and guard changes that resembled a mini kata and ended in a horse stance. As he slowly extended his left hand forward into a classic karate position for practicing punches with one arm extended and the other arm cocked by his hip with his legs bent, his hands began to glow with a dull red light.

"STRIKE OF THE FIERY FIST!" Yori announced in a loud voice as he stepped forward and punched in the direction of Red with his right hand.

When his hand snapped out to the end of its intended motion, the red light left his fist with a loud popping hiss and became a quickly moving projectile of energy that bore down on the young girl with a speed too fast for her to dodge in the short distance between herself and her opponent. With a quick jerk she yanked both hands up from their relaxed, lowered guard and crossed her arms in front of her face in a desperate attempt to block the attack.

Upon impact with her arms, the fiery ball of energy exploded with enough force to throw her backwards across the gym and onto her back where she skidded for another thirty feet. With a quick roll she returned to her feet and stood up on legs that felt a little rubbery and shaky, barely in time to dodge a second energy ball from Yori, that were quickly followed by ten more that she scarcely weaved and dodged in, out and around while trying to regain full control of her body and her legs.

"Not so cocky now are you, you rotten brat!" Yori growled with a smug look of his own.

"Hey! I thought we were sparring, not fighting a death match!" Red yelled as she spread her legs wide for the increased stability it brought her while she tried to recover.

"There is no such thing as sparring; it is always a fight with only one winner and one loser. Sometimes, someone dies. Didn't you ever learn that, or are you one of those paper dojo masters who never really learn how to fight and only do pretty forms?" Yori said with an evil grin.

"So, anything goes?" Red asked with a puzzled frown at her turn of phrase as a quiet inner voice asked why that sounded so familiar to her.

"Yep!" Yori said with an evil hiss, and then exploded into a run at the small girl with his hands still glowing.

As Yori ran towards her, Red heard a familiar voice bark at her in her head. ["There's no such thing as a fair fight, boy! If you're smaller than your opponent use anything and everything you have to take him down. There is no such thing as a dirty attack! Now stand up and fight!"]

Time seemed to slow down for the young girl as she weaved and bobbed in and out of a series of fiery red punches that left a red trailing after image from their passage while she attempted to analyze how her adversary was creating the energy that made his hands glow. After trying to block one of those attacks and obtaining a numb arm for her troubles from the power in Yori's blows, she found herself in the dangerous position of being completely on defense.

["Adapt Boy! When you find yourself being beaten, analyze the situation, find their weakness and adapt. Or figure out his attack, improve upon on it and use it to defeat him!"] The gruff, grating but familiar voice rang out and echoed in her head.

With a quick duck of her head, she moved inside Yori's punches as one grazed her cheek and made it feel like it was on fire. With an explosive grunt, she kicked up into the fork of Yori's legs hard enough to lift him off the ground about five feet and drove the breath out of him with an explosive gasp. As her enemy fell back down to earth, his knees buckled beneath his weight and dropped him down to a crouch. With a quick roundhouse kick, she snapped his head sideways and drove him down onto his side where he curled into a ball.

"I'm going to kill you for that!" Yori gasped out of lips turned grey from pain.

Leaping backwards, Red closed her eyes and replayed Yori's kata in her head and found some imperfections and a couple of possible missing steps. With a quick thought, she rewrote the kata in her head, mentally ran through it a couple of times, and then opened her eyes to the sight of Yori standing back on his feet while slowly moving back through his kata that would reignite his fists. Watching carefully, she found she could feel how the kata rearranged his internal life energy so he could execute the powerful strikes and blows that had almost defeated her.

Closing her eyes she made one last adjustment to the kata and then quickly blurred through the new form with her eyes closed. As she finished the kata she opened her eyes and found both her hands and her feet were glowing with a cold blue energy. "Attack of the Fiery Fist, REVISED!"

"HOLY CRAP!" an unknown, loud, deep, male voice yelled. "What the hell's going on in there?"

"Kami Sama!" a familiar female voice exclaimed

"Stop that and let us in!" Another voice demanded as someone rattled the entry gate to the basketball court.

Ignoring the voices that were trying to get their attention, Yori brought the palms of both his hands together in a prayer like position with both feet together as if he were standing at attention. With a quick interlacing of his fingers through several different configurations he rapidly moved his arms in a ritual like set of patterns for each new hand position and finished in a combat stance with his hands curled into claws.

"Speed of the demon cat!" Yori yelled and then charged at the girl from behind a punch of thrown energy.

"C – c – cat! I hate cats!" Red yelled back as she blocked the first attack without apparent injury despite the explosion from where her blue energy met Yori's red.

Yori's hands became a blur as he rained down attacks on the young girl faster than the eyes could see. The glow from his hands became brighter and hotter until it looked as if he fought within a circle of flames that danced at his command while striving to burn up and destroy the young girl skipping and counter dancing at their outer edge.

As she blocked, Red felt the heat from her opponent try to burn her up. As his blows rose and fell, she started to fearfully imagine the fires of hell rising and falling like a hungry tide moving in to consume her. This was so different than any spar she could remember in her short memories. As the heat became stifling she saw an image of a large arrogant man with four giant wings hurling fireball after fireball towards her rise up in her memories, but it was distorted as if viewed through massive heat waves that made the heat from Yori seem like a cold wind from the North Pole.

["Come on boy, you aren't even trying yet. Fear is the only opponent to fear! Get in there and fight like a man; not a little girl!"] The voice in her head exhorted, snapped and snarled.

With a quick shuffle step, she exploded forward and landed a front kick into her opponent's midsection to send him flying backwards and gain a little room. With a quick leap backwards she added another thirty feet between herself and Yori.

Standing straight up with her feet together she placed her hands palm together in front of her chest as if praying. With a slow exhale she extended her arms up above her head with her index fingers pointed towards the heavens while picturing all fear and panic being blown out of her heart and mind with her expelled breath. With a slow inhale she brought her hands back down to return them to a prayer position as she imagining inhaling peace, tranquility and calm as cool as a sheet of polar ice.

Moving back through the newly formed kata she pictured everything within herself to be as cold as ice, calm and peaceful. She locked herself into an icy calm where nothing could shake her demeanor, anger her, or cause her fear. Upon completion of the well-orchestrated movements, she brought her hands down to her side and blew out a breath of air so cold you could see it hover like an exhaled breath of tobacco smoke as her entire body became surrounded by a deep blue glow similar to light glittering off a thick, wide frozen lake.

Looking up through her bangs like a tiger seeking its prey with eyes blue as the ice she had encased her soul in, she saw her fiery enraged opponent barreling down on her while preparing for another assault. With a calm demeanor she stepped forward and punched straight out with her right fist to send a bright blue ball of light on a flying trajectory to smash into Yori's chest and force him backwards with an explosion of ice and cold that helped cool some of the heat radiating off him.

As if from a great distance, she heard voices yelling, but they skidded off the surface of her brain without registering any meaning that would disturb her calm interior. It was as if she lived in a world by herself untouched by anything and everyone else.

"YORI STOP! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE KAMI ARE YOU DOING?! I know you've been under a great deal of stress but have you LOST YOUR MIND?! - - - YOU! Get this gate open NOW!"

"I can't Ma'am, the lock's been fused."

"Kami Sama, look at her, she's glowing!" Another man in a security uniform gasped out.

"RED!" Ayame fearfully yelled.

With precise movements, Red serenely stepped forward through a series of punches and kicks that launched several energy balls at her opponent and rocked him back with each impact that he didn't block or dodge. Leaping forward into the air she executed a series of aerial kicks that appeared to defy the laws of gravity as she drove kick after kick into his arms, head and upper torso. When her feet hit the ground, she ducked under a counter punch spun on one foot and swept his legs out from under him, rose up to both feet and kicked Yori with a glowing foot that left ice forming on the impact point at the fork of his legs as he slid backwards across the polished hard wood floor clutching his reinjured manhood with both hands.

Looking on with wary, tired eyes the young girl watched with trepidation and unbelief as her opponent once again rose to his feet and then shook himself so that he resembled a dog trying to rid itself of an unwanted bath. With a deep breath he yelled out "ARMOURED FLAMING SKIN OF THE DEMON!" as he stomped down into a deep, sumo like combat stance and appeared to catch on fire from the red glow of his aura.

Looking up he spotted his prey, raised his head while holding his arms down low with clenched fists as he sounded an inarticulate scream of rage. While the gym was still echoing with his shout, he exploded forward with more speed than he had yet shown during this fight to leap at Red with a flying side kick that she barely ducked while flinching from the heat of his passing foot that attempted to singe her hair.

When he landed he spun on one foot and lashed out with a back kick so unexpectedly fast that she couldn't block or dodge. Without resistance, it forcefully caught her in the ribs so hard that she thought she both felt and heard at least one crack from the blow that drove the remaining breath from her lungs. With a quick gasp she just managed to suck in a brief breath of air as she twisted away from a new assault by her opponent.

As Yori struck out at her with a new series of punches, kicks and strikes, she was forced to retreat before the speed and power of his blows. Anything that she landed, her opponent shrugged off like a bite from an annoying insect despite the power behind her attacks. Hitting the man was now like hitting a steel beam; six feet of concrete would have been softer than landing a solid blow to his torso.

["Boy, if a man has hardened his body through conditioning exercises or through his ki, he can still be hurt at specific vulnerable points, such as pressure points. Find them and then repeatedly pummel em!"] The gruff voice lectured in her head.

With a carefully measured step Red ducked under a kick to her head, shifted around a couple of punches, took a horse stance inside Yori's attack zone, a dangerous position sometimes known as standing in the blender, and then proceeded to punch at several different vulnerable spots on his torso as quick and hard as she could. When she straight punched him in the bread basket; it felt a little softer than the other spots on his body landing with an impact that caused him to loudly exhale and hunch his body slightly around the point of contact.

With a powerful back hand to her face, Yori let out a growl and knocked her backwards across the floor so hard that her head swum while her vision darkened and then closed in. As she covered her injured eye and fought to remain consciousness, she saw an after image in her head of her hands snatching piranhas out of a fish tank so fast that they couldn't bite her while her hands remained dry. As the memory faded she heard a loud voice echo through her brain that sounded like hers, only a little bit deeper and somehow older, yell out ["Chestnuts roasting on an open fire REVISED!"]

With a shake of her head she rolled to her feet and blocked a front snap kick with crossed arms as Yori pursued his advantage. Her legs felt like rubber and his blows came hard and fast. Fear pumped through her veins and her breathing became ragged from the pain in her side as she retreated before his barrage.

["Fear is a weapon against one's self; don't ever let it rule you!"] The sage but gruff voice raged in her brain.

With a deep breath that felt as if her ribs were on fire she tried to calm her emotions and regain control of herself so that she could survive and retake the initiative of the dangerous situation she found herself in. ["Son-in-law, you must submerge all of your emotions in a soul of ice. Become cold and let everything slide off."] An aged female voice lectured in her nonexistent memories like an echo of a long dead recording from another age.

As she dodged a new series of attacks, she pictured a mountain glacier in her mind and fed all of her emotions into it. Inhaling deeply she pictured her frozen emotions gather in her lungs, held it for a moment and then exhaled them away in a breath of air that fogged out like mist on a cold winter's morning while the temperature dropped around her as if she was surrounded by northern arctic air.

Where the heat from Yori's fiery aura met the cold blue aura surrounding her, the air shimmered and fought with small spiraling winds that howled as if alive. As she dodged she didn't notice the unconscious spiral pattern she was leading her opponent into. With deft movements, evasions, slips and bobs she weaved herself backwards towards the center of a perfect spiral. The tighter the spiral got the faster and harder the winds howled until her hair was lifting with their gale force and her clothes were threatening to come apart under their tearing speed.

With each backward step her spiral tightened and small twisters could be seen forming between Red and Yori. Just before she reached the center of the spiral, she saw an opening on her opponents diaphragm, abandoned the spiral and exploded forward with a yell of "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire!" while she unleashed as many punches as she could into that one spot with a speed that made her hands and arms blur until they appeared to disappear.

With an explosive grunt, Yori folded around the hundreds of punches that landed as one at the center of his being where his ki resided within his belly as his forward momentum gave extra strength to the girl's strikes. With horror and shock on his face, he fell to his knees, grasped his stomach with both of his arms and desperately tried to draw air into his now empty lungs. With a look like a landed fish, his mouth worked but no air could get past his locked abdominal muscles that controlled the bellows actions of his oxygen starved lungs. After a couple of minutes he fell over onto his side into a terrified unconsciousness as he lost the struggle for air.

After he had fully collapsed, Red dropped her combat stance, wearily let go of the energy that illuminated her form, walked over to her opponent's unmoving body and subconsciously hit several points on his back with the extended index finger of her right hand. Upon completion of her complex pattern, Yori's body started to slowly breathe again.

With a weary pace she turned and trudged back towards the locked gate while cradeling her injured ribs with her left arm where she saw Ayame and two security guards gaping at her with wide eyes. When she arrived at the gate, she reached out with her right hand and gave it a strong yank. With a loud metallic pop, the latch snapped as it received more force than its engineer could have foreseen being exerted upon it.

"He's gonna need an ambulance. He expended an awful lot of energy and I hit him pretty hard there at the end. I don't want ta see him seriously hurt or crippled from this fight. He's a good fighter." Red said to Ayame with a weary lopsided half smile.

"Are you all right?" Ayame quietly asked with a bit of fear in her eyes.

"Yep, just pretty tired and hungry. Maybe a bit bruised as well. I don't remember ever havin' a fight like that in my life." Red slowly replied. "Is there somewhere I can rest?"

"How about the couch you seemed to like? Not to mention you earned it. I have never seen anything like that." Ayame said as she kneeled down in front of the young girl and placed her right hand on her left shoulder as she looked her in the eyes. "You're going to have a serious black eye and bruised cheek; I hope it was worth it."

"Miss, what should we do with Yori. We have handcuffed him and the police are on their way. Do you want to press charges?" A security guard carefully asked as he looked at the young girl with haunted eyes and an abnormally pale cast to his features as if what he had just seen had scared him beyond all reason.

"Red, do you want to press assault charges against him?" Ayame quietly asked.

"No, he and I just didn't hit it off. It was partially my fault cause I'm upset at the whole orphanage thing. I don't want him gettin in ta trouble cause of me. I should be grateful to him for showing me the extent of my limits and drivin' me past em." Red said with a slow shake of her head.

"Well, that is very generous of you, but I am going to have to have charges pressed against him. We can't have a worker with the CGC attacking children, no matter the provocation. I'm sorry, but he is going to have to pay for his bad choices."

"So am I. I don't need enemies, and that's what he's gonna be after this." Red wisely said with a sad sigh.

"Come on, let's take you back to the couch so you can rest. You won't have to speak to the police; the surveillance cameras will have caught everything on tape. I will also be sure to tell Yori that you chose to not press charges, which may help." Ayame said as she put her hand on the young girls back and slowly started to guide her towards the exit from the gym.

"Thanks, I hope that helps." Red sadly said as she shuffled forwards.

Instead of taking the stairs, they took the elevator back down and went back to the conference room where Red saw that the broken table and the previously surrounding chairs had already been removed and the rug was freshly vacuumed. With a sigh she walked over to the couch, kicked off her shoes and laid down.

"Stay here, we still need to finish grading your tests. After that I want to talk to you about some options for your schooling and where you will be staying. Also, I want Doctor Shin to have a look at you and make sure you aren't severely injured and in need of a hospital." Ayame said in a kindly voice, turned and then exited the room with a quiet click of the door latch.

Squirming until she got comfortable, she propped her feet up on the armrest and pillowed her head with her hands interlaced together behind her head. With confused thoughts, she pondered her disagreement with Yori, the fight that resulted from it and about the half remembered images and voices that came to her rescue during it. The memories were dim and hard to recall, as if blocked from her ability to access them, like a locked filing cabinet that occasionally spit out a miscellaneous page at random.

"Maybe I need ta be more careful about makin' people mad like that. It seems ta be too easy for me ta make others mad like that, almost as if it is a natural part of my fighting skills." Red thought aloud to herself. "I think I'm gonna have ta watch that if I want ta make any friends. It's gonna be hard enough with the boy-girl thing without being a jerk all the time as well."

The more she thought about things, the more confused she became. Was she a she, or a he? The few barely remembered voices that had drifted up from the dark recesses of her mind referred to her with a masculine gender preference, but she had woken up in the hospital as a girl. Since she felt normal in either form, as if she had spent many hours and days in both forms, the act of being either a boy or a girl didn't help her figure things out. And to make matters worse, everything seemed much bigger than she thought it should be.

Maybe she was nothing more than a freak and she should be very careful about revealing her gender changing ways to anyone else. After all, she didn't want people to dislike her just because they saw her as an unnatural abnormality. As her thoughts continued to chase each other through her head, she found her eyes getting heavier and heavier until she fell into a light but troubled sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 11**

Fire raged and danced around him as if alive; it stormed and swirled up, down, in and out while the heat rose and roared as it threatened to consume him. Dodging fireball after fireball being thrown at him by an enraged, half-avian man flying through the air on the wind of two sets of feathered wings sprouting out from his back, he leapt and jumped through the air and quickly discovered that he had been led into a trap where he was surrounded on all sides by rising flames that would quickly engulf and burn him to death if he failed to escape. In desperate terror, he froze himself with an icy staff gripped tightly in his hands just as the flames hit him with a hiss of steam and heat. Half parboiled, with pain lancing through his limbs, he threw himself at the winged adversary that taunted him from the skies where he danced. With a casual toss of his hand, the half man half bird hurled another massive fireball at him that hit the staff dead on, set his shirt sleeves on fire and hurled him towards the ground where he hit his head with an agonizing force that sent him towards a darkness that he feared he would never wake from . . .

With a horrible start and a brief scream, Red came clawing up from a troubled sleep into a fighting position as she searched and scanned for super-heated flames or a horrible winged adversary that was taunting her as it sought to end her life. As the tension drained from her body, she found her mind was confused at the instant change of gender. Everything seemed out of place, as if the scale of objects and their relation to her was somehow incorrectly skewed.

Much to her discomfort, as the adrenalin leached out of her system she discovered that her muscles ached and her ribs stabbed into her with sharp, lancing pain for each breath she took. With a surprised grimace she realized that her limbs were shaky and she also felt sick to her stomach. As the beating of her heart slowed from the racing pace it set when she first awoke, each beat pounded a painful rhythm as her head throbbed to its tempo. With a wince she glared at the overhead fluorescents that seemed to lance into her eyes with their harsh light and made her wish she could extinguish them.

Seeing no immediate danger, she carefully and slowly sat back down on the couch she had so quickly vacated just a moment ago and took careful assessment of her injuries. With slow deep breaths she gently probed her right cheek and found it to be deeply bruised and swollen. Her right eye felt extremely puffy and sore. Her arms ached where she had blocked powerful blows and were starting to show deep bruises that had already started turning many different hues, including green, yellow, blue, brown and black in unsightly splotches that ran up and down her limbs. With slow probing fingers she decided that she had a couple of cracked or even broken ribs on her right side and that she would have to be careful how she moved until they had knitted back together for fear of a punctured lung.

Just as she completed her self-examination, the door slowly opened and Ayame carefully stuck her head around the door. "Ahh good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" She asked with a hesitant smile.

"Like a large truck ran over me and then backed up to be sure of the job." Red replied as she stood up with her mouth held somewhere between a smile and a grimace. "For an old fart, he sure could hit hard."

"I'm sure he could. He has been studying martial arts for most of his life. In fact that is probably what put the two of you at logger heads to begin with." Ayame said with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What's that got ta do with his yelling at me the moment he saw me?" Red asked with a scowl as she moved closer towards Ayame while they talked. "He was a real jerk bout things."

"He has been under a lot of stress lately. I realize that doesn't excuse his attack on you but life has not been easy lately for him." Ayame said.

"How so?" Red found herself asking.

"His wife of thirty years died of cancer in the hospital earlier this year and the costs took all of his savings but still left him deep in debt with bills he couldn't afford to pay. When he appealed to his children for help, they refused him by claiming it was his problem and not theirs. Also, with the hope of higher earnings, he recently applied for a job promotion but he was passed over as too old and I am afraid, as I later learned, that I am the one that received the position he wanted." Ayame continued.

"That don't explain why he had such a problem with me. I mean it was like he didn't like me from the word go." Red stated. "I have a good idea what my problem with him is but I don't know why he was so angry at me."

"I'm getting to it. On top of everything else he was denied a lifelong dream. Very recently he tested to become a master in his martial arts style where he failed to meet the mark. I am afraid that didn't sit very well with him and that is probably one of the main reasons he responded with such hostility towards you, especially after he had read the report that you were supposed to be a master martial artist." Ayame informed the young red head.

"Oh, I just thought it was cause he didn't like kids." Red said with a slightly dismayed look.

"Normally he is fairly decent with children, if a little old fashioned in a way that makes him seem somewhat cold and distant, but I am afraid that you were a tipping point for him." Ayame said as she clasped her hands together in front of her waist while bending forward a little as she spoke to the young girl standing before her.

"Do ya know why he didn't get made a master? He may be an old freak but he is an awful good martial artist. I would have thought they would have gave it ta him just from the way he fought."

"What little I know, I have heard from others so it is rumor at best." Ayame said with a dismissive gesture of her right hand.

"It might be nice ta know what you have heard so I could better understand what really happened between us. A rumor is better than nothin'. So could ya please tell me what ya know?" Red implored Ayame.

"Very well, but this is only hear say. My understanding is that he did very well at the fighting part of his test but some of the obscure forms that he disdained as useless were a little shaky. But where he really fell down was his inability to teach. He isn't patient enough and so he has trouble teaching what he knows to others. Plus I was told that he has trouble showing others how to do the techniques that he is capable of performing. It is so completely natural for him that he doesn't really know how to break it down and be able to teach it." Ayame reluctantly replied.

"Ahhh, thanks. That answers some things for me. It tells me why he wanted ta believe that my art was all lies and why the thought that it might be true made him so mad. He didn't want ta believe that someone as young as me could have what he didn't. But that still don't excuse how mean he was ta me despite the way I acted as well." Red said with a thought furrowed brow.

"When you were tested was teaching part of your test?" Ayame asked.

"A couple of days after I was granted my mastership by Sensei Tadashi, he told me that he saw that I could teach from some of the demonstrations I did. When he was testing me, he had asked about some of the techniques and how they worked. So I took the time out to show how they were done and why they work. He said that the proof of a master was their ability to teach everything they know to someone else so they can pass on the style ta others. If Yori can't teach, then he can't pass on the style so he hasn't mastered it. Sensei also told me that some styles only require that you can teach someone else to be able to attain their black belt and that automatically qualifies ya as a master. Different styles have different requirements ta become a master but teaching is always part of it." Red lectured.

"Anyway, that is neither here nor there, the real reason I came in was to see if you were okay or if you needed a trip to the hospital due to your injuries. I didn't mean to get distracted by these other topics." Ayame said as she changed the subject.

"I think I'll be okay lady, I just hurt a lot from the fight. I don't need ta go ta a hospital." Red replied with a slight grimace of pain as she shook her head back and forth to emphasize her dismissal of a hospital trip. "I've seen enough of the hospital over the last couple of weeks despite the friends I made there."

"Well, now that you're awake, I am going to have Doctor Shin check you over to be sure that you really are all right. Then, if he says you are okay, we need to have a conversation about your future." Ayame said with a slight frown at Red's obvious injuries before she exited the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

After the door closed Red move back to the couch and laid down with exaggerated care so that her head was resting on the arm rest and prepared to wait. With slow careful breaths she took herself into a meditative state to control the pain she was in. As she waited, she allowed her mind to move back over the fight. With careful deliberation she set out to map everything she had done correctly into her natural reactions and discard the mistakes she had made so she wouldn't repeat them in a future encounter.

As her meditative thoughts moved to a conclusion, her thoughts were disturbed by a quiet knock at the door. As she turned her head, she saw the door open and Doctor Shin stick his head into the room. Looking around he quickly spotted her on the couch and walked towards her with a black, leather bag in hand.

"I saw the footage of the fight." Doctor Shin said. "How badly are you hurt?"

"Mostly bruises doc, but I think I got a couple of cracked or broken ribs from one of his strikes." Red replied as she held her injured side with one of her hands.

"Well, while I take a look at your ribs, you might want to put this icepack on your eye after I check it for damage." He replied as he dug out an icepack and handed it to her. With gentle fingers he probed the bruising around her right eye, looked into it with a small flash light and muttered to himself about the possibility of a concussion.

"Thanks, Doc." She said with a sheepish grin as she gently held the pack to her eye after he had finished administering to it.

With careful fingers, Doctor Shin started to probe her ribs on her right side until Red involuntarily gasped with pain when he found the injured area. With a gesture, he communicated that he wanted her to expose her ribs by lifting up the hem of her shirt. After establishing the exact location of her injured ribs he took the time to probe her stomach region to make sure there were no signs of internal injuries. With his examination complete, he reached into his bag and pulled out a heavy elastic bandage wrap so he could bind up her ribs.

"Normally we don't bind broken ribs, but with your apparent lifestyle they will need all the help they can get." Doctor Shin fondly chided. "Do you think you can stay out of fights for a few days until these knit back together?"

"I'm sorry Doc, I will try to be good and not get myself into any more trouble." Red contritely said.

"I'm sure you will do your best. I know you're basically a good girl but you seem to attract more trouble than anyone else I have ever met." Doctor Shin said with a smile. "Now, breathe out and hold your breath."

With an exaggerated exhalation Red blew out and comically puffed her cheeks up as she held her breath with her tongue stuck out at the doctor while she crossed her eyes. With a snort of laughter at her antics, Doctor Shin started to wrap her ribs with a large elastic bandage, just tight enough to elicit a small intake of breath from his patient. With a flourish he set the butterfly closures and pulled her shirt back down.

With a deliberately loud gasp, Red noisly gulped in some air. "Took ya long enough Doc, ya tryin' ta make me pass out or somethin'?" She said with a mischievous grin as she held the icepack back up to her injured eye.

"If I want you to pass out, I will use a hypodermic. Thank you very much." He replied with a smirk. "If you are up to it, Ayame has said we can go to dinner after she goes over a few things with you first."

At those words, Red's stomach gave out a large growl as she sheepishly looked up with an embarrassed grin. "Sounds great, I worked lunch off a while ago."

"Well, we are going to have a really nice dinner tonight so I really hope you can avoid any more trouble for today. The restaurant we are going to is well known and famous plus I am good friends with the owner. He has promised me that he will fix a special meal for you, though he sounded worried when we talked earlier today. Something is troubling him and I don't know what it is." Doctor Shin said as worry creased his brow. "We will take the train to the Shibuya station and then walk from there. It is only a couple of blocks from the station. Now here is a bottle of water and a couple of pain pills I want in you."

After standing up, Red looked around with a wide, excited grin and then started for the door while taking her medication with a large swig of water. "Well we better find her then. So the sooner we get going the sooner we can tank up."

As she started to reach for the knob, the door opened to re-admit Ayame into the room. "How is she Doctor Shin?" She said with a bow.

"Her? She will be fine. Mostly she just has some deep bruises that will probably be healed up in a couple of days though her broken ribs will probably take a couple of weeks to fully knit back together. If she were an ordinary person, she would be hospitalized by today's events. Luckily the orbit around her eye wasn't broken otherwise she would need to return to a hospital. However, she seems to be basically fine and only shows signs of a mild concussion that I expect to be gone in a couple of hours. Her healing rate is really quite amazing."

"How could anyone heal that fast, let alone a child?" Ayame asked in a doubtful tone.

"I think it is her martial training. I suspect that she had been trained to harness her inner ki to speed up her healing abilities as well as allow her to absorb damage that would kill most people with only bruises to show for it." Doctor Shin said with a contemplative expression as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. "Though that is only a theory, it is the only explanation I currently have."

"Oh. Um, where will you be staying tonight in case we need to reach you?"

"We will be taking rooms at the Cerulean Tower Tokyo Hotel. I have already made reservations for us."

"Then you will have a very nice place to stay. Don't get used to that kind of luxury little one. Unfortunately, you won't see much of it at an orphanage." Ayame warned.

"So what can I expect? I don't know much about being an orphan. Will there be lots of other children? Will I be adopted? Where will I eat and sleep? Will I be able to visit with my friends like the Doc here?" Red worriedly asked as she turned her head up to better see Ayame's face.

"Those are hard questions to answer since we haven't finished deciding all of those things yet ourselves. I will try to give you some general answers instead. Will that be okay?" Ayame asked as she sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her indicating that Red should join her.

"I guess." Red replied as she took a seat next to Ayame.

"All right then, let us begin with the question of what being an orphan in Japan means by giving you a little history. After World War Two there were a large number of orphans throughout Japan. As part of an effort to take care of these children until relatives or missing parents were found or declared dead a system of orphanages were established to take care of children that needed help even if it meant taking care of them until they were grown. Often this also included children whose families didn't have the resources or the means to provide for them. So they were included in the system to make sure of their continued survival. Since we are Japanese, we tend to stick with a system that has historically worked and continues to work. In fact it was only a couple of years ago that Japan even made child adoptions where parental rights can be severed legal but it seldom happens that way. Any questions so far?" Ayame kindly informed.

"Not yet. Keep going." Red said with a negligent wave of her right hand indicating that Ayame should continue.

"In Japan today, there are two types of children in orphanages. There are those without any parents or family to take care of them and there are those that their parents have left at the orphanages to be taken care of. Some families can't afford to care for their children and others just can't be bothered. I do the job I do because I came up in the system and I hope to change it for the better. I truly love children and I don't like the way we as a society sweep them out of sight and under the rug."

Red jerked her head around in surprise to get a better look at Ayame and blurted out. "So you're tellin' me that parents just drop their kids off at orphanages and leave em there? How come no one comes and adopts them instead of just abandoning them?"

"In Japan a parent usually keeps all of their rights where their children are concerned even when they leave them in orphanages to be raised by others. Those rights are only severed in very extreme case since the government doesn't like to interfere with families." Ayame said with a slight sigh of frustration.

"How come parents like those aren't seen as bad parents? I would think that abandoning your kid ta be raised by strangers would be a public loss of face and a blow ta your honor." Red asked.

"Because it doesn't appear on the family registry letting a child be raised in an orphanage holds no social stigma for the family. Since there is no apparent loss of honor for the family it is often a common practice in Japan. It is just one of those things that aren't talked about so it isn't seen for the problem it is. A child in an orphanage whose parents have retained their parental rights is not eligible for adoption, even if they spend their entire childhood in the orphanage. Parents can come and visit their child there or take them home at any time but most children spend their childhoods hoping that Mom or Dad will come for them in vain. I know this because I was one of those children and even today I almost never see my mother or my father." Ayame sadly continued with a single tear rolling down one cheek.

"That's awful. Am I going ta be one of those children?" Red asked.

"We are still checking several leads and if they don't pan out then you will most likely be listed as adoptable simply because we have no idea of where or even who your family may be. But the odds are against it." Ayame said with a sigh.

"What do ya mean the odds are against it?" Red suspiciously asked. "Do ya think that people won't like me or something?"

'It has nothing to do with that; it has to do with the view of the Japanese people. Most Japanese find the idea of adoption to be a strange idea and the idea of raising another's family member even more so. In fact most Japanese don't even think about the problems of orphans let alone realize there are children in need of adoption. I think it is a blind spot in our culture." Doctor Shin added.

"There are around thirty six thousand children in the system today but only about twelve percent of the ones that qualify for adoption will ever be adopted. The irony of this is that Japan is only second in adoption to the United States. The difference is that it is adults adopting adults. This is often done by business owners or those with financial empires that are disappointed in their birth heirs so they groom a replacement for their real children that meet their wants and desires. These replacements are often employees that are on the company fast track. After they are satisfied with their potential, they adopt them into the family as a replacement for their blood relation and add them to the family registry. Many famous corporations have done this such as Suzuki. So Japan now has one of the highest rates of adoption in the world while only a small portion of eligible children are ever adopted." Ayame finished.

"So you're sayin' that I may live out my childhood in an orphanage because the Japanese don't adopt children much. Is that what you're telling me?" Red asked as she tried to absorb the information she had just been given.

"Yes, at its core that is what I have been saying. The other problem is that it isn't in the best financial interest of the orphanages to have children adopted because they receive money from the government for each child they care for." Ayame replied.

"Oh, then I guess I will just have to live my life as I see fit and not rely on anyone else ta help me too much." Red sadly said.

"Don't give up hope for a good life. The orphanage will provide for your needs such as food or a bed. But as you know, there are many things that can happen in life and you do have friends that will stand by your side." Doctor Shin encouraged.

"I ain't givin' up hope. I am just not gonna expect nothing. Taking care of yourself is part of martial arts as well. This just means I have ta start younger than most." Red replied with grim determination in her voice. "But I still say this whole thing sucks!"

"You're right, it does." Ayame agreed. "So let's move onto other matters. Those of the tests you took. They were most surprising."

"How so?" Doctor Shin inquired.

"Well either she is a genius elementary school student or a fairly mediocre high school student." Akira said. "Since she is obviously a child, we have to assume that she is a genius."

"Me? I don't think so." Red stated.

"Whether you feel that way or not, your test scores indicate that we need to give serious thought to your schooling." Ayame said. "We need to make some calls and some pretty strong decisions about the best way to serve your needs. As such we won't have a decision for your housing or schooling needs until tomorrow."

"Oh." Red said with a slight pout shadowing her lips.

"Also, we are finishing following up some inquiries about your possible family origins. We will have the answers we need tomorrow." Ayame added.

"So we will need to return here on the next day to learn where she will be staying?" Doctor Shin asked.

"Yes, when you come back tomorrow we should better know where the best place for her will be." Ayame said as she stood up walked across the room and held to the door for them. "Have a nice meal little one and please try to stay out of any more trouble."

"Thanks! I plan ta, though trouble seems to find me without my seekin' it out." Red quietly replied as she started out the door with the icepack held to her eye as Doctor Shin followed a couple of steps behind and gave a small bow of farewell.

_[Authors comments: Thanks for all the reviews. I appreciate and read every one of them. I wish to apologize for the slow release of this chapter. I was unhappy with the original chapter I had written so I chose to take the time to rewrite it before posting. All the best.]_


	12. Chapter 12

**Red Suoh and the Eldritch Library**

**Chapter 12**

With a jolt the train came to a stop at Shibuya Station. As the doors opened with a quiet whoosh, Red stepped out into the modern facilities of the Tokyo train system. Even at night the station was crowded with the hustle and bustle of people coming and going from the well-known business district of Tokyo. As they moved towards the east exit of the station, they moved through the milling crowds of people headed towards their trains, their various exits or towards the Tokyu department store. The tile floor had yellow lines that helped guide people through the station. Large rectangular lighted signs hung from the ceiling detailing the current time as well as the arrival and departures times of the various train lines. As they moved towards the exit they passed rows of computer terminals where travelers could purchase their travel tickets.

After leaving the department store that acted as the east gate for the train station, they found themselves surrounded by the bright glow of the lights from the business ward of Tokyo. Looking around Red found herself amazed at the buildings rising up around her and the hustle and bustle of this section of Tokyo. Everywhere she looked, there were bill boards and lighted marquees screaming for her attention loudly enough to make her eyes water and her head hurt.

"We will take in some of the sights after we eat." Doctor Shin said as he gestured in a large circular motion with his right hand.

"Sounds fun." Red said.

"Sounds a little dangerous." Akira frowned.

"We'll cross the street here, and then it is only about a five to ten minute walk to the building where the restaurant is." Doctor Shin said as he pointed away from the station.

After crossing a couple of busy streets and a brief walk they came to the base of a modest skyscraper with the name Cross Towers written in English above the entrance with an extra-large 'W'. It was a fairly tall square structure made of concrete, steel and glass. On two sides the concrete rose up unbroken by windows as if it was a white stripe going up the middle of the tower. The main lobby was decorated in a series of light beiges with a floor of light brown rectangular tile. A short walk took them to the elevators marked with a series of white numbered dots going from zero to thirty two on a corner wall next to the stainless steel doors. Doctor Shin carefully pressed the up button for the lift and stepped back with his hands folded behind his back and waited as he quietly rocked back and forth on his feet while he whistled between his teeth.

The elevator arrived with a quiet chime and the doors slid open to a wood paneled lift. After stepping in Red watched Doctor Shin push the button for number 32, the top floor of the building. Partway up, the elevator doors opened on a lobby similar to the one on the first floor but with wood paneling partway up the walls and focused spot lights carefully set to create a subtle but relaxed and elegant mood. A man wearing a very nice suit with a white silk scarf escorted a petite woman with her hair coiled up on her head in an elaborate coif who wore a black dress with a strand of large pearls around her neck and a mink stole draped across her shoulders. Being careful to not bump against the three of them, the woman looked down with a disdainful sniff at Red who was now dressed in black pants with blue kung fu style slippers and a blue Chinese style blouse that had gold and green Chinese style dragons on both the front and the back.

HH

With a slow deliberate look at the elevator buttons where only the number thirty two was lit she turned to her companion and loudly whispered. "Really, I don't see why they think anyone will let them into La Rochelle. Obviously they are not rich, well-mannered or dressed correctly to be allowed into such a fine establishment. Not to mention that eye tells me that she is obviously some sort of a ruffian tomboy. " She drawled with obvious pleasure as she tried to draw blood with her words.

With a slow deliberate look the man carefully eyed them up and down with a slight sneer. "Of course dear, besides it is a waste to bring a child to a restaurant like this. Her pallet can't possibly appreciate this fine of cuisine." He finished as they turned their backs on them with perfect timing to step out of the elevator as it came to a stop and the doors re-opened.

"Why those dirty, no good sons of . . . "

"Red!" Akira admonished. "Just because they are rude, that doesn't mean you have to use language like that."

"Sorry." Red said "But they just made me really mad."

"People like that need to be ignored like the ants beneath our feet. They are not worth your time to respond to or step on. Remember that." Akira instructed as she exited the elevator.

"Kay." Red replied in a sulky tone with suppressed anger in her voice.

Moving down a hallway lit with carefully set lights that softly illuminated fine art hung in metal and glass frames on the walls, they came to a small reception area with a padded bench placed next to a glass cabinet. On the right under a mirrored window that said 'La Rochelle Cuisine Francaise" stood a double legged brass podium that looked a bit like a music stand where a large fancy menu was set for the patron's perusal. To the left stood a marble column with a beautiful flower arrangement on top and in front of it was a wooden easel with a list of today's specials. The doors were set back from the lobby with a gorgeous Turkish type rug set in front of them. The grey metal frosted glass doors swung inwards with large glass brass trimmed pointed ovals inset in the center of the glass itself. The wavy handles were made of brass and the doors had brass kick plates. One of the doors was just swinging shut behind the snobbish couple that had preceded them down the corridor.

Stepping forward, Doctor Shin reached out and opened the right hand door and waved Red and Akira through with an exaggerated flourish and a broad grin. As they entered into the main lobby area, they saw a large dining area with several tables carefully set with silver plates, crystal and a variety of western eating utensils placed with care on clean white linen and superbly arranged center flower settings. The lights were bright enough to see what you were eating, but low enough to set a relaxed mood that allowed you to take in the view of the city through the various windows. Most of the tables were filled with a variety of finely dressed patrons engaged in conversation, wine and partaking of various stages of their meals. The smell of excellent properly cooked food assailed the senses until it had Red's mouth salivating with expectation.

"What do you mean we have to wait?" A shrill voice said with fake shock.

"I am sorry madam, but as you can see most of the tables are taken and we have reservations coming shortly to fill the others." A well-dressed maitre d' tried to explain to the woman in the fur stole.

With a quick motion the man she was with shushed her and guided her towards a chair for their wait.

"May I help you?" The maitre d' asked when he turned towards their party.

"Yes, reservations for Doctor Shin, I believe that we have the Sakai room."

"But of course. The Iron Chef is expecting you and will be taking care of your party himself." The maitre d' said with a smile. "It is an honor to have you with us. Is this the little girl you told us to expect?" He continued as he bowed to their party and then crouched down to shake Red's hand.

"Well! I never!" The woman in the fox stole said as she started to storm out the door. "I will never eat here again! Such rudeness! Who do they think they are to favor such commoners over a scion of a noble house!" She continued loudly as her male companion was forced to scurry after her.

As Red watched them start to leave, she pulled down one eyelid with the index finger of her right hand and let out a loud "Nyaaaa!" at their retreating backs.

With a loud cough that barely concealed his bark of laughter, the maitre d' signaled them to follow him. With sure quick movements, he weaved them in and out of the various tables. As they moved through the dining area, they could see glimpses of the city lights out of the curtained windows gleaming like bright stars in the night sky. Stepping through a doorway, they found themselves in a large room with a single table.

The room had rich deep blue carpet with matching velvet chairs. On two sides of the room were the corner windows of the Cross Tower. The windows were framed with blue patterned white linen draperies and dim lit crystal lamps center set on the lintel of each window. The lighting was low enough to be easy on the eyes and allow patrons to see the city lights, but bright enough to see each other and their food. The table was set with gold plates, gold ware utensils and fine lead crystal glasses. In the center of each plate stood a folded black cloth napkin made from high quality fabric. The table's centerpiece was a tall faceted cut crystal vase of carefully arranged blue roses sprinkled with white baby's breath and accentuated with green fronds that curled in and out of the flowers.

"Oh Wow!" Red breathed in a whisper normally reserved for libraries.

"This is beautiful." Akira sighed.

"If the ladies and the gentleman would care to be seated, the chef will be with you shortly." The maitre d' said with a short bow.

"Thank you." Doctor Shin replied with his own bow.

As Red headed for the table, the maitre d' held one of the chairs for her and helped scoot her in. He then did the same for Akira on the opposite side of the table and Doctor Shin sat himself at the head of the table. From where she sat, Red could look either to her left or straight ahead to see the view of the city. She found herself happily gazing out the windows at the view and thinking how beautiful the city was.

"How did you get reservations here?" Akira asked.

"A friend." Doctor Shin replied cryptically.

"Must be some friend." Red said with a broad smile.

"Don't worry; you will meet him in a few minutes. He loves someone who enjoys food the way that you do."

"Kay." Red said as she turned back to the view.

As she quietly sat and enjoyed her surroundings and the beautiful view, Red heard the quiet approach of a waiter as he brought an ice bucket with a couple of bottles of wine in it followed by a waitress who placed a tray set up with tea fixings onto a side table. After fussing with the cork, the waiter quietly poured a dark red wine out into fine gold rimmed crystal goblets and set one down in front of each one of them, including her. After a short bow, the waiter turned and left the room as the waitress started to set out several dark blue glazed ceramic cups down and filled them with a deliciously fragrant tea. Stepping back to the side table, she returned with a gold tray covered with a large white doily that held an array of fruits, cheeses and crackers. With a bow she turned and also left the room.

"Oh boy!" Red exclaimed as she took a little of everything off the tray and started sampling various combinations of crackers, fruits and cheese. After a couple of samples she reached out and took a long sip of the wine. "Wow, this is good stuff, but the wine is rather strong."

"Wine!" Akira exclaimed as she jerked her head around in time to see the young red head take another deep sip. "You shouldn't be drinking that, you are way too young!"

"Leave her be, it will help her relax a little and will help alleviate some of the pain and stiffness she must be feeling after her little scrap today." Doctor Shin scolded. "Just take it easy on the wine though, OK?"

"Sure thing Doc." Red smirked as she carefully set the wine glass down and picked up her tea. "I prefer tea anyways and this tea is really good."

"Just enjoy yourself tonight. You may never have another chance to eat like you will this night for a very long time." Doctor Shin said with a smile.

"Kay!" Red said with a bright smile and then took a small sip of the wine as she gave a slow wink at Akira.

"Well, I never!" Akira harrumphed and took a deep sip of her own wine as she gave Red a stern glare.

"Shin!" exclaimed a man as he entered the room wearing a double breasted white chefs uniform emblazoned with a gold star emblem while wearing a white scarf tied around his neck. Hanging down on his chest he wore a set of red eyeglasses on a chain looped around his neck where he could easily find them when he needed them.

"Sakai!" Doctor Shin said as he rose to his feet and stepped around the table to give the chef a robust embrace. "It is wonderful to see you."

"And you as well my friend." Sakai replied with a smile. "Introduce me to your guests."

"Sure. This is my friend Akira and over here is a wonderful young lady that we call Red. She has the biggest appetite I have ever seen and she makes the best Okanomiyaki I have ever tasted. Red, Akira let me introduce my good friend Iron Chef Sakai."

"The Sakai . . ." Akira said in a slightly awed tone as she rose to her feet.

"What's an Iron Chef?" Red asked as she scratched the back of her head. "Is this beautiful place yours?" She continued as she gestured around the room.

"What's an Iron Chef?" Sakai repeated with a puzzled expression on his face. "Yes, this is my restaurant. I am pleased that you think it is beautiful."

"She was brought to the hospital with severe injuries and woke up with amnesia. She probably has no idea what or who an Iron Chef is. She doesn't even remember her real name so she currently goes by the name 'Red'." Doctor Shin explained.

"Ahhh." Sakai replied as he moved over to bend down and place one hand on her shoulder. "I am an Iron Chef. My specialty is French cuisine. I am one of only a few people that are so named and we are considered to be some of the best chefs in the world. We appear on a television program called Iron Chef where we compete in a place known as kitchen stadium to see whose food is the best and will 'reign supreme'. People have come from all over the world to challenge us and compete. Does that answer your question?"

"So you are one of the best chefs in the world and you are cooking for me tonight?" Red asked with shining blue eyes as she held her closed fists together under her chin.

"Yes, yes I am." Sakai replied as he took a hero's stance with his fists on his hips.

"Oh Boy! I was already excited but now I am really, really excited. So, if I wanted to learn ta cook great food would you be willing ta teach me?"

"Since appearing on Iron Chef, I only teach those who can defeat one of my chefs." Sakai said with a smile. "I have a chef who used to specialize in Okanomiyaki. Would you be willing to put your recipe up against his for a chance to learn?" Sakai said with a kind smile.

"You bet! I will take on any challenge. Bring it on." Red exclaimed as she took a stance and pumped her fist in the air.

"Very well, we will do so after you have eaten." Sakai said as he stood up and set his hands on his hips with a smile and a laugh playing around his mouth.

"Sounds good ta me!"

"Very well, take your seats and we will continue your meal."

Stepping over to a small table by the door Sakai picked up a small glass bell with gold edges and gently rang it. After a couple of moments their waiter came in with a tray where he set it on a small stand. On the tray were 3 plates with 4 small individual items that looked like small hors d'oeuvres.

"Now that you have enjoyed our cheese and fruit tray, I would like to start you off with what is called an 'amuse bouche', or an amusing bite. The idea is to create a bite that is set to whet the appetite with a nearly perfect taste sensation. Tonight I present you with four of my favorites. To the left we have a pesto, goat cheese and sun dried tomato quiche. Next to that is truffle custard with crab and caviar. Additionally we have a stuffed marrow bone followed by foi gras with fig and peach compote. Please enjoy."

"This is almost too beautiful to eat." Akira stated with a slow smile.

"Speak for yerself lady." Red replied as she helped herself to one of the truffles. "Mmmm…. This is so good."

"You have outdone yourself my friend." Doctor Shin said after a bite of his food.

"You are too kind." Sakai said with a short bow.

"So, how do the two of you know each other?" Akira asked and then took another bite of food.

"Ahhh, it was an unfortunate accident that brought us together." Sakai replied. "I was on a skiing holiday when I took a bad fall. The paramedics were afraid I had broken my leg so they transported me to the hospital where I met my new friend Shin. We took an instant liking to one another and quickly became friends. Luckily, I hadn't broken my leg but the tendons and muscles were severely sprained so it did take some time to recover."

"Sounds like we have somethin' in common then." Red said between bites. "Doctor Shin and me have gotten along real well since I woke up in the hospital."

"That would be 'Doctor Shin and I', not 'Doctor Shin and me.' Please use proper grammar young lady." Akira chided.

"Yeesh, get off my case lady. I was just pointing out that the doc and 'I' are best buds now just like doc and Sakai." Red said with a scowl. "Sides, I'll talk any ways I wants ta. Got that?"

"Well of all the impertinence." Akira huffed and then angrily took a bite of her food.

"You know Red, your right about the similar circumstances between you and Sakai. I hope we continue to be friends for many years."

"Thanks Doc that means an awful lot ta me." Red sheepishly replied with a lopsided grin. After a moment's pause she quickly rose to her feet walked up to Sakai and extended her right hand. "Hi, my name is Red. Want ta be friends?"

Sakai smiled broadly, leaned over at the waist and then extended his right hand to shake hers while tousling her hair with his left hand. "Hi, I'm Sakai and yes I would love to be friends little one. After all people who have survived butchers like Shin need to stick together; why just looking at your eye tells me that you have suffered terribly under his kind care." Sakai continued with an evil glint in his eyes as he looked in Doctor Shin's direction.

"Hey! That was uncalled for! I'm so hurt! O woe is me! " Shin cried out with mock outrage as he placed one hand over his heart and faked being in great pain with deliberate exaggeration.

Sakai and Red turned as one, looked at Doctor Shin and simultaneously raised their right eyebrows as if in disbelief at the scene before them. After a moment of watching Shin's deliberately over exaggerated acting they both dissolved into giggles that quickly became gales of laughter which first infected Shin and then finally broke Akira down into amused chuckles as Red retook her seat.

After his laughter came to an end Sakai wiped a tear from his right eye with his forefinger, let out a large sigh and smiled. "Thanks, I really needed that laugh. I have been under a terrible stress recently. Ahh, but first we must have your salads."

With the ring of the bell servers came in to clear their plates.

"Umm Red, don't you think you have all the marrow out of that bone? You're not a dog that needs to chew on it like a prized possession." Doctor Shin pointed out as he watched Red try to lick out the very last of any misplaced marrow out of the bone while fending off the server who wanted to take it away with her left hand.

"Ewww! Gross!" Akira commented with a disgusted face.

"Sorry Doc, that was just really tasty and I wanted to make sure nothin' got wasted."

As the servers set plates of salad in front of them along with a glass of white wine, Sakai smiled and spoke with a voice much like a television announcer. "Behold, before you we have a fine shrimp salad made with potatoes, greens, romaine lettuce, haricots vert, green peppers, tomatoes tossed with vinaigrette and adorned with boiled eggs, kalamata olives and fine capers. Please enjoy." He finished with a flourish of his hand and a stylish bow.

Taking a large portion that had a bite of everything on her fork; Red shoveled the salad into her mouth and started to chew. "Mmm, thish ish good eatshh." She said with her mouth full.

"Oh come on, at least don't talk with your mouth full. That is very bad manners. You should show some decorum and manners when you are blessed with these surroundings and this exquisite meal." Akira primly pronounced.

"Red, I am afraid that I have agree with Akira on that one. If you really want to be a chef you also need to understand proper etiquette and this is a good time to start if you really want to learn. Now, Sakai, what seems to be troubling you?"

"Ahhh, Shin my old friend, I have a partner that has got us into a very bad situation. He believed himself to be a martial artist of some renown. As a result of his pride he got himself tricked into a battle dining contest and lost his share of the restaurant to a Chardin. Then to make matters worse, this Chardin tricked me into agreeing to a rematch with any champion of my own choosing to regain my partner's share of the restaurant or give up the restaurant to him if I lose. I have been unable to find a champion and the contest is in one week. I guess I will have to let this place go." Sakai reported with a sad face.

"Ahhh, ya ain't got no worries. I will fight for ya. And I don't lose." Red proudly said as she struck herself over her heart with a closed fist.

"That is a very kind offer, but after much research I have learned that Chardins never lose in their form of martial eating expertise. They learn from child hood to master this strange art."

"What is battle dining anyway?" Shin asked before taking a bite of his salad.

"It is basically a speed eating contest but anything goes, you may steal or move your opponent's food, throw plates, utensils, etc.; the first one to finish their food and leave a set of sparkling clean dinner ware is the winner. The basic premise is that the spectators must never see the contestants eat. They are supposed to eat with such speed that the food appears to disappear rather than be seen to be consumed. The Chardins have grossly large mouths that are rumored to be able to hold an entire water melon and tongues so long that they can eat food off their head with their tongues alone. The prospect makes me positively ill." Sakai said with a visible shudder.

At his words Red felt like lighting blasted through her brain as she remembered a blond man with a horribly huge mouth engulf her head and upper torso as if she were a tasty tidbit to be carefully savored. To make matters worse he had terrible breath. A chill of disgust ran down her spine at the memory so instead of examining it, she deliberately pushed it aside for later review where it immediately began to fade away and disapear.

"So no one has beaten anyone from this family in their so called form of martial arts?" Akira asked.

"Alas there is rumored to have been only one person but I have learned that a tragic accident struck her down and she recently died. Her name was Ranma Saotome and she supposedly did so through a forbidden technique of an obscure branch of the family known as the 'Parley du Foie Gras'. I only learned this with much research after getting myself into this mess." Sakai sadly replied. "So without a champion, I am doomed."

"I already told ya I can beat him for ya." Red reiterated.

"Well she can eat faster than anyone I have ever seen and food often appears to disappear off her plate." Doctor Shin thoughtfully said with one hand on his chin.

"Here, I'll show ya." Red said as she put some cheese, bread and crackers on her plate.

With a flourish she spun two forks in each hand spread her arms wide for dramatic pause, then her hands blurred so fast that they appeared to become invisible and the food vanished from her plate as if by magic leaving a sparkling clean plate behind.

"Tadaa!" Red announced as she once again twirled her forks and then set them down on either side of the plate.

Sakai stared wide eyed at the sight he had just witnessed. For a few moments all he could do was stare from the young redhead to the plate and back again with his mouth wide open in shock. "B. how? You have such a petite mouth, yet you eat like a battle trained Chardin. How?"

"Martial arts appear to be the thing I'm best at." Red proudly stated. "I have found I got skills that I have only begun ta explore."

"Is that what happened to your eye?"

"Yeah, but you should see the other guy. I never lose." Red declared with pride.

"Little one, I would be proud to let you be my champion. Win or lose at least I now have a chance. Please help me." Sakai said with a deep bow.

"It would be my pleasure. When and where?"

"Next week; Saturday at seven p.m." Sakai replied. "I will send a limo if you let me know where you live."

"I'll have ta call ya. I don't know where I am going to be stay'n till tomorrow."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Cause they haven't decided what orphanage hell hole they are going ta deposit me inta yet." Red growled as she gave Akira a dirty look.

"Hell hole? Now listen here young. . " Akira heatedly started.

"Ahhh, I take it that you are not happy about that." Sakai interupted with a sympathetic voice.

"Ya got that right. It kinda sucks that I don't got any say in it." Red replied with a sigh in her voice. "I mean, I already don't know who I am, where I am from or if I have any family anywhere. I was happy at the hospital. I knew everyone, they gave me lots of pretty good food and I had a place to exercise and work out. Now I don't know where I'm going or what is going ta happen ta me."

"I see; but if you look at it as a grand adventure then maybe you can look at things differently. The reality of life is that the only thing we truly have any control over is how we choose to react to what happens to us or around us."

"What if ya choose to do nothing?" Red asked as she looked up at Sakai through her bangs.

"That too is a choice. The act of not acting is an act in and of itself."

"Ya make a lot of sense; I will have to think about what ya have said." Red said with a half-smile.

"But of course. You should never take anyone's word for anything. You should always think and study about things and decide for yourself if you wish to be wise. Now let us have the bouillabaisse." Sakai concluded and then rang the bell for the wait staff.

With quick but careful movements the staff removed the salad plates, set out bowls and ladled a steaming fragrant soup out into large bowls. With a deep bow, they turned and left the room.

After picking up her soup spoon Red scooped up some of the broth and noisily slurped the contents down. "Hot! Hot! Hot! But really good." She exclaimed while trying to cool her tongue off by waving at it with her left hand.

"Mmm, you have outdone yourself Sakai. This is excellent." Doctor Shin complimented after taking a careful sip of his own dish.

"Such rich flavors; this is the best soup I have ever tasted." Akira confessed with a smile.

"Thank you, I am glad you appreciate our efforts." Sakai said with a bow.

"Is this the type of food you can teach me to make for myself?" Red asked in between bites.

"Yes it is, but in French cooking we will start with the mother sauces. From there you can make many, many things so long as you know the techniques involved." Sakai replied.

"So cooking is like a martial arts kata. You start with basic techniques such as punches, blocks, kicks and footwork that is then used in different combinations to create an infinite variety of new moves and techniques." Red said thoughtfully.

"Ummm, while I had never thought of cooking as a martial art, you are essentially right." Sakai said with a surprised look on his face and then after a thoughtful pause he continued in a new direction. "The next course is steak Diane with a side of asparagus covered in hollandaise sauce along with some herb crusted baby potatoes."

While Sakai was describing their meal, the servers removed the dirty dishes, filled new glasses with red wine and set out the main course. After bussing the tables and delivering the new food they gave a bow to the seated guests and exited the room.

"Now then, young one, if you wish to be a chef you should take the time to taste the food in front of you. Savor its taste, memorize its flavors and learn to identify the individual components that combine to make your food taste good. If it tastes bad, then you need to be able to identify what is wrong with the ingredients by taste alone. There is nothing wrong with eating quickly as you do, but your first few bites should be eaten slowly so you may savor the food and learn about how good food is done." Sakai lectured.

"Kay." Red replied and then quickly cut off a bite of steak and put it in her mouth where she slowly and exaggeratedly chewed it. "Mmmm. This tastes good. The sauce really has a silky feel in my mouth and the steak is so tender it almost seems to melt like butter."

"Now take a moment and tell me what ingredients you think you can taste." Sakai instructed.

After a deliberate show of thought where Red held her chin with one hand while her other arm was folded across her chest as she tilted her head from one side to the other as she chewed she replied. "Beef, mushrooms, cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic for sure; also maybe some onions and some sort of alcohol I think."

"Very good, you only missed a few things. There are also shallots and Worcestershire sauce plus some parsley. The alcohol is a fine Cognac. I am impressed by your pallet. With such a developed sense of taste I can teach you fairly quickly how to cook well and recreate dishes you like as well as how to improve on them and create your own recipes."

"So I will not only know how to cook from a recipe, but I will know how to make my own recipes on the fly?"

"That is correct; a real chef knows how ingredients combine to create new and unique flavors. They have a base knowledge that allows them to improve on existing recipes and develop their own."

"Cool." Red said with a broad smile that had a fork hanging out of one corner of her mouth.

"Yes. Yes it is." Sakai replied with a smile at her antics.

With a slower speed than usual Red attacked her main course with abandon and just stopped short of licking the plate. With a contented sigh she turned and looked out at the view of Tokyo as she tried to patiently wait for the other to finish. Much to her surprise she found the gleam of the lights to be soothing but their light prevented her from seeing the stars and left her missing their shining presence from the sky overhead.

"I hope the stars will be visible from where ever I will be staying." She thought out loud.

"So you like the stars?" Dr. Shin queried.

"Yes, I believe they have been a great comfort ta me. The thought a' watching them fills me with a sense of peace." Red replied with a half-smile.

"Then I hope you will have a view of them." Dr. Shin said as he polished off his food.

Shortly after her two dining companions had put down their utensils, Sakai clapped his hands to summon their final course.

Shortly thereafter three different waiters entered and set a plate in front of each of the diners, gave a deep bow and then left. The waiter that placed the tray in front of Red smiled at the excitement the small girl was giving off by quickly clapping her hand together under her chin as he placed a second plate in front of her with a series of extra goodies on it.

"Yay!" She exclaimed out loud as she bounced up and down in her seat. "I love dessert!"

With a quiet smile Sakai clasped his hands behind his back and announced. "Before every one of you is a dessert sampler. On the plate before you, you will find a crème' brule', a French apple tart and a chocolate éclair. Please enjoy. Because of her monstrous appetite, the young lady has these additional treats; a pear tort, a dark chocolate cream truffle, a honey glazed cream filled layered pastry and a piece of milk chocolate pie. Please enjoy."

While her excitement told her to dive right in and devour the tasty treats, she looked up and watched as Dr. Shin and Akira took their time and savored their food. With a strong show of will power, she picked up her spoon and carefully broke the glaze on the crème;' brule', scooped up some of the custard and hard sugar onto her spoon and took a careful bite. The explosion of flavors danced across her tongue and brought a large smile to her face. Digging in, she started to eat the wonderful treat at what seemed like a slow pace to her, but was still much faster than most people could have eaten.

With deliberate abandon she proceeded to enjoy each of the desserts in front of her until they were all gone. Leaning back in her chair she rubbed her stomach with a broad grin and finished off a large glass of water. After returning the glass to the table she let out a large ear splitting belch that brought startled gasps and shocked words of surprise from the main dining area.

"Red!" Akira exclaimed with embarrassment as the heat of her blood flooded her cheeks.

"Young lady, that was most inelegant but heart felt." Dr. Shin laughingly said with a grin.

"Thank you for the compliment." Sakai said with a smile and a bow as he clicked his heels together. "It is nice to know that we have completely satiated you. As you know Dr. Shin, in some cultures it is rude if you don't compliment the chef with such acclaim."

"Why yes, so it is!" Dr. Shin laughingly barked.

"Don't encourage her!" Akira snapped.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud." Dr. Shin said with a smile. "This is supposed to be a night on the town for her. She can learn mind numbing manners as she gets older. Sakai, I thank you for the meal. It was delicious."

"I am glad you enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to serve you." Sakai replied with a smile and a short bow. "Now, I believe our young guest has an Okanomiyaki challenge to meet. Please follow me to the kitchen."

"Sounds good ta me, I never back down from a challenge." Red smirked as she followed Sakai out of the room named for him after one last look at the beauty of the dining area and the view of the cities lights.


End file.
